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WASH    DRAWING, 
VINCENNES, INDIANA. 


Mr.  Harris  Promptly  executes  orders  in  these  lines,  and 
Guarantees  Satisfaction  in  all  cases. 
ILLINOIS  HISTORICAL  SURVEY 


li.  A.  FREDERICK, 


SHIPPER    OF1 


OFFICE,  1115  EAST  MAIN,  OPP.  E.  &  T.  H.  DEPOT. 

•HOXE  10.-,.  VINCENNES,  IND. 


I  have  exclusive  sale  of  JACKSON   HILL  and  PRINCETON  COAL. 

With  plenty  of  cars  and  coal  at  my  command  it  will  be  to  your  interest  to  deal 
with  me  during  the  coming  season  and  have  your  trade  well  taken  care  of. 

I  desire  to  advise  you  that  on  application  I  will  be  prepared  to  name  you  prices 
on  all  grades  of  steam  and  domestic'  coal. 

I  take  the  liberty  of  suggesting  that  if  your  trade  demands  the  best  grades  OF 
COAL:  JACKSON  HILL  and  PRINCETON  COAL  are  the  best.  It  will  be 
to  vour  interest  to  communicate  with  me  before  purchasing  elsewhere. 

W.  A.  CASTO, 

flManos  ant>  ©rgane, 

617  N.  SEVENTH  STREET, 

VINCENNES,  INDIANA. 


I  HANDLE  THE  FULL  LINE  OF 

.  3i.  Baldwin  Pianos, 

NO  BETTER  INSTRUMENTS  MADE. 

Prices  always  reasonable.  Terms  to  Suit. 


Pianos  tuned  and  Repaired  by  expert 

SATISFACTION  GUARANTEED. 

LEAVE  ORDERS  AS  ABOVE. 


Wm.  E.  TUITE,  A.  F.  HARTMAN,  ANDREW  TUITE, 

President.  Sec'y  and  Treas.  Manager. 


....MAKERS  OF.... 


Winfcow 


CAPACITY  2,500  BOXES  PER  WEEK, 


We  Guarantee  our  Product  Superior  to  any  Sheet  Class 
Made. 


THE  COMPILER 


VINCENNES 

In  Picture  and  Story. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  OLD  TOWN. 
APPEARANCE  OF  THE  NEW. 


FULL  COLONIAL  HISTORY,  INCLUDING  GEORGE 
ROGERS  CLARK'S  OWN  ACCOUNT  OF 
THE  CAPTURE  OF  THE  VIL- 
LAGE FROM  THE 
BRITISH. 


ALSO  A  SHOWING  OF  THE 

Manufacturing  and  Business 
Interests, 

WITH  COPIOUS  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


COMPILED  BY 


J.  IP.   HODGE, 

19O2. 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND   STORY 


Photo  by  Totenslev- 


KNOX  COUNTY  COURT  HOUSE.    Cost  over  $362,000 


ID 

vhor 


J 


Wncennes  in  Picture  and  Jtory 


The  City  of  Vincennes,  which  will  form  the 
subject  of  the  following  sftetch,  is  situated  on 
the  Wabash  river,  120  miles  above  where  its 
waters  join  with  those  of  the  beautiful  Ohio.  It 
is  almost  equi-distant  from  the  two  great  cities 
of  St  Louis  and  Cincinnati,  being  150  miles  al- 
most directly  east  of  the  former,  and  192  miles 
directly  west  of  the  latter,  on  the  line  of  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  South-Western  R.  R.,  and 
south  236  miles  from  Chicago.  It  is  117  miles 
southwest  from  Indianapolis,  and  fifty-one 
miles  north  of  Evansville.  It  is  the  southwest- 
ern terminus  of  the  Indianapolis  &  Vincennes 
railroad,  a  part  of  the  Pennsylvania  system, 
and  the  midway  point  on  the  Evansville  & 
Terre  Haute  Railroad.  It  is  also  the  northern 
terminus  of  the  old  Cairo  &  Vimcerines  road, 
now  a  part  of  the  Big  Four  system. 

It  is  a  beautiful  city  of  twelve  thousand  peo- 
ple, largely  engaged  in  manufacturing  indus- 
tries, which  are,  however,  so  far  in  the  out- 
skirts, in  the  main,  as  to  interfere  little  with 
the  beauty  of  the  city  or  the  pleasure  and  com- 
fort of  its  inhabitants. 

Having  thus  located  and  briefly  described 
our  subject,  our  attention!  will  now  be  directed 
to  its  history  proper  and  more  will  be  said  of 
the  present  city,  its  advantages  and  prospects 
in  another  place. 

CHAPTER  I. 
EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 
It  is  perhaps  quite  generally  known  that 
Vincennes  is  one  of  the  oldest  settlements  of 
the  West.  It  is  also  known  in  a  vague  sort  of 
way  that  it  figured  to  some  extent  in  the  opera- 
tions of  the  Revolutionary  war.  It  is  probably 
not  so  generally  known,  however,  how  great  a 
part  the  "Old  Post"  played  in  the  game  of  war 
which  resulted  in  the  birth  of  the  great  nation 
on  which  the  jealous  eyes  of  the  whole  earth 
are  turned  to-day.  In  view  of  the  importance 
its  conquest  assumed  in  the  treaty  of  Paris, 
in  1783,  it  is  deeply  to  be  regretted  that  its 
early  histoiy  is  enshrouded  im  misty  doubt  and 


uncertainty  due  to  the  want  of  official  records 
and  authentic  historical  data. 

In  his  e/forts  to  present  to  his  readers  a 
worthy  and  reliable  account  of  the  early  set- 
tlement, growth  and  development  of  the  city 
of  VinJcennes,  the  compiler  of  this  history  has 
spent  much  time  and  labor  and  has  consulted 
numerous  authorities  important  among  which 
are  Judge  Law's  "History  of  Vincennes;"  Hon. 
Win.  H.  English's  "Conquest  of  the  Territory 
Northwest  of  the  River  Ohio  and  Life  of  George 
Rogers  Clark,"  and  the  "History  of  Indiana,"  as 
published  in  House  Miscellaneous  Documents, 
of  the  50th  congress;  also  a  pamphlet  entitled 
"Vincennes,"  by  Hon.  H.  S.  Cauthorn..  In  this 
connection  he  desires  to  acknowledge  valuable 
assistance  rendered  him  by  Hon.  Henry  S. 
Cauthorn,  Dr.  Hubbard  M.  Smith  and  Mr.  Ed- 
ward L.  Townsley,  of  the  city. 

The  city  derives  its  name  from  a  Canadian  of- 
ficer, Francis  Morgan  de  Vincenne,  who,  there 
is  some  reason  to  believe,  planted  the  first 
French  settlement  here  in  the  year  1702.  It 
is  not,  however,  due  to  this  circumstance  that 
the  city  bears  his  name.  It  had  up  to  the  year 
1736  been  knk>wn  variously  as  "The  Post,  "Old 
Post,"  "Au  Post,"  "Post  Ouabache,"  "St 
Francis  Xavier  Post."  etc.,  no  name  having, 
apparently,  been  officially  promulgated.  De 
Vincenne,  who  was  a  resident  of  the  town  and 
probably  a  post  officer,  accompanied  an  expe- 
dition against  the  Chickasaw  Indians.  The 
French  were  defeated  and  De  Vincenne  was 
among  the  captured,  scorning  to  leave  the 
wounded.  His  heroic  conduct  on  this  occasion 
when  he  was  burned  at  the  stake,  caused  his 
praises  to  be  sung  to  that  extent  that  his  name 
was  given  the  post,  without  any  formal  action, 
but  by  a  spontaneous  movement  which  met 
with  a  general  acceptance.  Ttat  the  first  set- 
tlement on  the  Wabash  on  the  ?ite  of  Vincennes 
was  made  by  French  traders  from  Canada 
there  seems  to  be  no  doubt,  vrhatever.  Under 
whose  leadership  and  at  what  date  are  mat- 


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colonial  enterprizes  which 
were  undertaken  by  the 
French  in  America,  two  con- 
siderations doubtless  operated 
to  induce  the  settlement  at 
Vincennes.  The  strengthen- 
ing and  extension  of  the  trade 
and  empire  of  France,  and 
the  spread  of  the  Christian  re- 
ligion, as  taught  by  the  estab- 
lished church  of  that  country. 
It  is  well  kniown  that  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  seventeenth 
century  they  attempted  the 
construction  of  a  cordon  of 
posts  to  connect  their  settle- 
ments in  Canada  with  those 
on  the  Mississippi,  -and  the 
Old  Post  may  have  had  its 
origin  as  far  back  as  that,  in 
this  effort. 


O 

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ters  which  do  not  seem  capable  of  being  re- 
duced to  any  degree  of  certainty.    As  in  all  the 


At  the  time  when  the  light 
of  history  throws  its  first  dim 
rays  upon  the  site  of  our  be- 
loved little  city  of  the  pres- 
ent, there  was  located  here 
an  Indian  village  called 
"Chip-pe-co-ke"  or  "Brush 
Wood."  No  doubt  the  exist-, 
ence  of  this  village  was  the 
moving  consideration  for  the 
settlement  at  this  point  for 
dual  reason  that  it  gave  the 
priest  an  opportunity  to  con- 
vert the  savage  denizens  of 
the  valley  and  furnished  the 
thrifty  trader  an  opportunity 
to  traffic  with  the  natives. 

Judge  Law  in  his    address 
before  the   "Vincennes     His- 
torical and  .Antiquarian  Soci- 
ety,"   delivered    in    1839,    by 
a    most    plausible    argument 
arrives  at  the  conclusion  that 
the     settlement     here     must 
have  been  made  about  1710. 
Quoting    from   a   volume    of 
"Letters   Edifying   and   Curi- 
ous,"   published    in    Paris    in 
1761,  and  from  a  letter  therein 
contained  written  toy  "Father 
Gabriel  Marest,  Missionary  of  the  company  of 
Jesus,  to  Father  Germon,  of    the  same    com- 


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VINCENNES  IX  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


pany,"  dated  at  Kaskaskia,  Illinois,  Nov.  12, 
1712,  says:  'The  French  having  lately  estab- 
lished a  fort  on  the  river  Wabash,  demanded  a 
missionary,  and  Father  Mermet  was  sent  to 
them."  From  the  statement  that  the  fort  has 
been  built,  Judge  Law  arrives  at  the  conclusion 
that  the  settlement  must  have  been  made  a 
year  or  so  previous  to  the  date  of  the  letter. 

In  a  memoir  of  M.  de  Denomville,  on  the 
French  limits  in  North  America,  dated  March 
8,  1688,  it  is  stated  that  the  French  at  that  time 
had  divers  establishments  on  the  river  Missis- 
sippi "as  well  as  on  the  Oyo,  Ouabache,  etc., 
which  flow  into  the  said  river  Mississippi." 
This  is  taken  from  the  "Paris  Documents" 
which  are  copies  of  the  "originals  in  the  ar- 
chives of  the  department  of  the  marin/e  and  the 
colonies — in  the  archives  of  the  department  of 
war,  and  in  the  Royal  library  of  Paris." 

nin  passant  it  may  be  as  well  to  note  the  fact 
that  there  appears  to  be  good  authority  for  the 
statement  that  the  society  before  which  Judge 
Law  delivered  this  discourse  in  1839  had  in  the 
early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century  fixed  the 
date  1680  as  that  of  the  first  French  settlement 
here.  Onl  what  they  based  their  conclusions  is 
not  known  at  the  present  day. 

Judge  Law  sees  no  reason  to  doubt  that  the 
post  mentioned  in  Father  Marest's  letter  was 
the  one  afterwards  variously  known  as  "Au 
Post,"  "The  Post,"  and  "Post  Vincennes." 

The  statement  is  made  in  the  'History  of  In- 
diana" previously  referred  to,  published  by  au- 
thority of  Congress,  that  "after  La  Motte  Cad- 
illac founded  a  permanent  settlement  at  Detroit, 
and  about  the  close  of  1702,  Sieur  Juchereau,  a 
Canadian  officer,  assisted  by  the  Missionary 
Mermet,  made  an  attempt  to  establish  a  post 
on  the  Ohio,  near  the  mouth  of  that  river;  or 
according  to  some  on  the  Wabash  at  the  site 
which  is  now  occupied  by  Vincentnes."  Two 
anecdotes  are  there  related  as  told  by  Father 
Mermet  in  connection  with  this  settlement, 
which  Judge  Law  connects  with  his  later  date 
of  1710.  One  of  these  related  to  a  religious 
controversy  with  the  medicine  men  of  the  In- 
dian village:  the  other  to  an  epidemic  malady 
of  malignant  type  from  which  the  Indians  suf- 
fered and  with  which  neither  the  "Big  Medi- 
cine's" sorcery  nor  the  good  priest's  knowledge 
was  able  to  cope.  In  their  extremity  the  poor, 
ignorant  red  men  determined  on  an  effort  to  ap- 
pease the  evil  spirit  by  a  great  sacrifice  of 


dogs.    The  rest  is  told  in  Bishop  Brute's  lan- 
guage: 

"Forty  of  these  poor  animals,  innocent  as 
they  were  of  the  cause  of  the  epidemic,  were 
immolated,  and  carried  on  poles  in  solemn  pro- 
cession around  the  fort  While  the  procession 
was  moving,  the  jugglers  were  uttering  excla- 
mations, which  as  recorded  by  Father  Mermet 
were  as  follows:  'Manitou  of  the  French,  do 
not  kill  us  all!  Softly,  softly  then!  Do  not 
strike  too  hard.  Spare  us  ere  we  all  die.' 
Then  turning  to  the  father  (Mermet)  they 
would  say  'O,  Manitou,  truly  thou  hast  life  and 
death  in  thy  sack.  Keep  in  death  and  give  out 
life.' "  It  is  added  that  "the  Indians  soon 
moved  away  from  the  place  of  mortality,  Mer- 
met retired  to  the  village  of  Kaskaskia,  and 
the  Sieur  Juchereau  abandoned  the  sickly  post. 

In  the  narrative  last  referred  to  it  is  stated 
that  the  total  French  population  within  the 
province  from  Lake  Michigan  to  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  did  not  exceed  four  hunldred  in  1713, 
three  years"  after  the  date  fixed  by  Judge  Law 
for  the  settlement  of  Vincennes,  from  which  we 
may  infer  that  at  all  events  the  population  of 
Vincennes  must  have  been  exceedingly  limited. 

But  we  find  another  bit  of  evidence  in  favor 
of  the  date  1762  for  the  settlement  at  the  "Old 
Post,"  in  the  petition  of  the  French  inhabitants 
thereof  to  General  Gage  in  1772,  in  which  they 
allege,  in  response  to  a  proclamation  previously 
issued  by  General  Gage,  commanding  them  "to 
retire,  at  their  choice,  into  some  one  of  the 
colonies  of  his  majesty,  where  they  will  be  re- 
ceived and  treated  as  the  other  subjects  of  his 
majesty."  They  claim  in  their  petition  that 
they  hold  their  lands  by  "sacred  titles;"  that 
the  French  settlement  at  this  place  was  of 
'seventy  years'  standing,"  and  that  their  lands 
had  been  granted  by  order  and  under  protec- 
tion of  "his  most  Christian  Majesty,"  the  King 
of  France.  To  this  petition  Gen.  Gage  trans- 
mitted the  following  reply: 

"New  York,  April  2d,  1773. 

"Gentlemen: — I  have  received  your  letter  of 
the  14th  of  September  last,  with  the  representa- 
tions annexed,  which  I  intend  to  cause  in  a 
few  days  to  be  transmitted  to  the  fleet  of  his 
Majesty. 

"As  you  claim  your  possession  by  sacred  ti- 
tles, insinuating  that  your  settlement  is  of 
seventy  years'  standing,  and  that  the  lands 
have  been  granted  by  order  and  under  protec- 
tion of  his  most  Christian  Majesty,  it  is  nee- 


VINCEXNES  IN  PICTURE  AND   STORY 


essary  that  His   Majesty  should   be  informed 
very  particularly  on  these  points:  and  it  is>  im- 


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portant  to  you  to  giye  con- 
vincing proofs  of  all  that 
you  allege  in  this  respect. 

"To  this  end  I  have  to  de- 
mand, without  delay,  the 
name  of  every  inhabitant  at 
Yincennes  and  its  neighbor- 
hood, and  by  what  title  each 
one  claims;  if  it  is  by  con- 
cession, the  year  of  the  con- 
cession must  be  added,  as 
the  name  of  the  officer  who 
made  it,  and  the  name  of  the 
governor-general  who  ap- 
proved and  confirmed  it 
with  (illegible  word,  probab- 
ly "page"  or  "number";)  also 
of  the  records  where  each 
concession  shall  have  been 
registered.  That  the  report 
which  I  expect  may  be  bet- 
ter understood,  I  annex  here- 
to a  form,  which  I  beg  you 
to  follow  exactly,  and  to  put 
me  as  early  as  possible  in  a 
position  to  push  forward 
your  business. 
I  am,  Gentlemen, 

Your  most  humble, 
And  obedient  servant, 
THOMAS  GAGE. 


"Mr.  de  St.  Marie,  and  the 
other  inhabitants  settled  at 
Post  Vincenues." 

It  is  worthy  of  remark! 
that  the  seventy  years'  ten- 
ure of  lands  at  the 
Post"  would  carry  these  pe- 
titioners back  exactly  to  the 
date  alleged  in  the  history  of 
Indiana,  heretofore  referred 
to  as  that  of  the  arrival  of 
Sieur  Juchereau  and  his  fol- 
lowers, with  Father  Merniet 
—1702. 

Father  Merniet  subse- 
quently died  at  Kaskas- 
kia,  but  whether  he  ever 
returned  to  Viucennes 

we  are  not  told. 
On  the  subject  of  the  date  of  settlement  it 


/ 


VIXCEXXES   IX   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


may  be  further  said  the  Count  de  Volney,  who 
was  here  in  1796,  and  who  talked  with  many 
of  the  old  settlers,  gives  it  as  his  opinion  that 
the  settlement  was  made  in  1735.  The  facts 
and  circumstances  before  related,  however, 
render  it  altogether  probable  his  estimate  is 
too  conservative  and  that  the  correct  date  is 
many  years  prior. 

CHAPTER  II. 

THE  JESUIT  MISSIONARIES. 

The  noble  fortitude,  perseverance  and  endur- 
ance exhibited  by  these  learned  missionaries 
of  the  Jesuit  order  are  worthy  the  admiration 
of  the  world,  and  did  more,  perhaps,  toward 
conquering  the  wilderness,  so  far  as  it  was 
done  by  the  French  than  all  other  agenteies.  No 
other  nation  had  so  litle  trouble  with  the  In- 
dians as  the  French  and  we  can  readily  believe 
the  Christly  deportment,  unselfish  devotion  to 
the  relief  of  suffering,  exhibited  by  their  de- 
voted priesthood,  did  more  than  all  other  agen- 
cies to  produce  that  happy  state  of  affairs. 

As  throwing  some  light  on  their  labors  anld 
the  manner  in  which  they  gained  so  great  an 
-ascendancy  over  the  natives  we  quote  below 
from  a  letter  written  from  Kaskaskia,  by  Fath- 
er Marest,  giving  an  account  of  a  journey 
through  the  wilderness.  He  thus  describes  the 
character  of  the  country  over  which  he  trav- 
eled in  making  a  journey  from  Kaskaskia  to 
Michilimackinac:  "We  have  marched,"  says 
the  Rev.  Father,  "twelve  days  without  meet- 
ing a  single  human  creature.  Sometimes  we 
found  ourselves  in  vast  prairies— of  which  we 
could  not  see  the  boundaries — through  which 
there  flowed  many  brooks  and  rivers,  but  with- 
out any  path  to  conduct  us.  Sometimes  we 
were  obliged  to  open  a  path  through  thick  for- 
ests, through  bushes  and  underwood  filled  with 
briars  and  thorns.  Sometimes  we  had  to  pass 
through  deep  marshes  in)  which  we  sank  up  to 
the  middle.  After  being  fatigued  through  the 
day  we  had  the  earth  for  our  bed — or  a  few 
leaves — exposed  to  the  wind,  the  rain,  and  all 
the  injuries  of  the  air." 

Writing  of  the  customary  religious  exercises 
at  Kaskaskia.  Father  Marest  says:  "The  fol- 
lowing is  the  order  we  observe  each  day  in 
our  mission:  Early  in  the  morning  we  assem- 
ble the  catechumens  at  the  church,  where  they 
have  prayers;  they  receive  instruction  and 
chant  some  canticles.  When  they  have  retired, 
mass  is  said,  at  which  all  the  Christians  as- 


sist, the  men  placed  on  one  side  and  the  wom- 
en on  the  other;  then  they  have  prayers,  which 
are  followed  by  giving  them  a  homily;  after 
which  each  one  goes  to  his  labor.  We  then 
spend  our  time  in  visiting  the  sick  to  give  them 
the  necessary  remedies,  to  instruct  them,  and 
to  console  those  who  are  laboring  under  any 
affliction..  After  noon  the  cathechising  is  held, 
at  which  all  are  present,  Christians  and 
catechumens,  men  and  children,  younig  and  old, 
and  where  each,  without  distinction  of  rank  or 
age,  answers  the  questions  put  by  the  mission- 
ary. As  the  people  have  no  books  and  are  nat- 
urally indolent,  they  would  shortly  forget  the 
principles  of  religion!  if  the  remembrance  of 
them  were  not  recalled  by  these  almost  con- 
tinual instructions.  In  the  evening  all  assem- 
ble again  at  the  church  to  listen  to  the  instruc- 
tions which  are  given,  to  hear  prayers  and  to 
sing  praise  hymns.  *  *  *  These  hymns  are 
their  best  insti  uctions,  which  they  retain  more 
easily,  since  the  word's  are  set  to  airs  with 
which  they  are  familiar  and  which  they  like." 

Could  anything  be  more  calculated  to  gain 
and  retain  an  ascendancy  over  any  people  than 
such  a  course  of  instruction  and  such  devotion 
and  service  to  the  sick  and  suffering?  Is  it 
any  wonder' that  wherever  the  Jesuit  mission- 
ary went  there  was  for  the  most  part  a  friendly 
greeting  and  that  he  gained  this  not  only  for 
himself  but  for  his  associates  and  followers? 

But  if  the  picture  painted  by  the  Count  de 
Volney  in  1796  of  the  conditions  prevailing  at 
Vincennes  on  the  occasion  of  his  visit  of  that 
date  be  a  true  one  the  vigilance  of  the  priest- 
hood hereabout  must  have  been  somwhat  re- 
laxed. Mr.  Volney  says:  "My  stay  at  Vin- 
cennes afforded  me  some  knowledge  of  the  In- 
dians who  were  assembled  to  barter  away  the 
produce  of  their  red  hunt.  There  were  four 
or  five  hundred  of  them,  men,  women)  and 
children,  of  various  tribes,  as  the  Weas,  Peor- 
ias,  Sawkies,  Peankeshaws  and  Miamis.  The 
men  and  women  roamed  all  day  about  the 
town  merely  to  get  rum;  for  which  they  eager- 
ly exchanged  their  peltry,  their  toys,  their 
clothes,  and  at  length,  when  they  had  parted 
with  their  all,  they  offered  their  prayers  and 
entreaties — never  ceasing  to  drink  rill  they  had 
lost  their  senses." 

It  should  be  remembered,  however,  that  this 
was  long  after  the  conquest  of  the  country  by 
George  Rogers  Clark,  and  in  the  meantime 
there  had  come  into  the  vicinity  many  traders 


10 


VIXCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND   STORY 


of  English  extraction  over  whom  and  whose 
dealings  with  the  natives  the  Jesuit  mission- 
aries could  have  no  control.  A  further  rea- 
son/ for  the  more  abundant  flow  of  rum  Is 
found  in  the  fact  that  communication  with  the 
settlements  was  at  this  time  far  easier  than  in 
the  time  of  Fr.  Marest..  A  few  years  later,  in 

Photo  by  Ttnvnsley. 


Jesuitical  priesthood  certainly  render  it  prob- 
able that  it  is  possible  even  at  this  day  to  find 
the  facts.  We  are,  however,  compelled  at  the 
present  to  content  oneselves  with  conjecture  as 
to  the  lapse  of  a  quarter  of  century  or  more 
until  the  year  1749  when  the  first  entry  appears 
in  the  records  of  St.  Francis  Xavier  Cathedral. 


VINCENNES  AND  EVANSVILLE  BELLES 


1805,  Governor  Harrison,  in  a  letter  addressed 
to  Governor  Tiffin,  of  Ohio,  said:  "The  dread- 
ful effects  which  have  beem  produced  among 
our  Indian  neighbors  by  the  immense  quanti- 
ties of  ardent  spirits  which  have  been  poured 
in  upon  them  by  our  citizens,  have  long  been 
known  and  lamented  by  every  fiiend  of  hu- 
manity." 

But  these  digressions  find  us  far  ahead  of 
our  story.  Let  us  return  to  the  early  years  of 
the  eighteenth  century.  They  give  us  little  but 
conjecture  it  is  true,  but  we  are  safe  in  sur- 
mising that  the  Piankeshaw  villages  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Vincennes  were  not  strangers  to  the 
zealous  priests  whose  labors  were  begun  al- 
most with  the  dawns  of  the  century  and  that  if 
we  know  nothing  of  the  events  of  that  period 
it  is  probably  due  to  the  fact  that  the  archives 
of  the  order  in  France  have  not  been  searched 
by  a  competent  historian  sufficiently  interested 
to  delve  so  deep  as  would  be  required.  The 
thorough  system  of  reports  required  of  the 


It  was  made  by  Father  Meurin,  who  appears  to 
have  arrived  here  at  that  date.  We  are  told 
that  in  the  course  of  the  next  year,  1700,  a 
small  fort  was  built  and  that  the  white  popu- 
lation was  considerably  increased  in  the  course 
of  the  years  1754-55-56  by  the  arrival  of  immi- 
grants from  Kaskaskia,  Detroit,  Canada  amd 
New  Orleans. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  it  was  in  the  last 
year  mentioned,  1854,  that  war  was  precipitated 
between  France  and  England,  known  in  Eng- 
lish history  as  the  French  and  Indiani  war. 
Washington  leading  a  force  against  Fort  Du 
Quesne  suffered  his  first  disaster,  at  Fort  Ne- 
cessity, Great  Meadows,  being  compelled  to 
capitulate  to  De  Villiers,  the  French  command- 
ant, who  generously  permitted  his  little  army 
to  retire  toward  the  English  settlements.  This 
war  resulted  in  victory  for  the  English  arms 
and  the  cession  of  Canada  and  the  territory 
westward  to  the  Mississippi,  to  England,  by 
"•(«  treaty  of  1763.  * 


•Felix  Bouchie,  who  died  in  Vincennes  at  an  advanced  age,  in  1897,  related  an  experience  his  grand- 
father, Vetal  Bouchie,  had  with  the  Indians  during  this  war.  He  came  to  Vincennes  from  Canada  in  1760. 
Young  Bouchie,  who  was  a  man  of  herculean  proportions,  applied  to  Mrs.  Cardinal,  a  widow,  for  work, 
and  was  engaged  to  assist  in  mowing  a  meadow  south  of  town,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  elevation  known 
as  "Bunker  Hill."  While  at  work  in  company  with  another  white  man  and  two  negro  slaves,  they 
were  set  upon  by  a  party  of  Indians,  who  had  approached  by  the  well  known  stratagem  of  moving 
bushes  held  in  front  of  them.  At  the  moment  of  the  discovery  of  the  Indians,  who  had  taken  the  precau- 


VINCENNBS  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


11 


CHAPTER  III. 
UNDER  ENGLISH  RULE. 

The  first  official  act  affecting  the  repose  of  the 
French  settlement  was  a  proclamation  issued 
by  General  Gage  in  1772  which  read  as  follows: 

'By  his  Excellency,  Thomas  Gage,  Lieutenant 
General  of  the  King's  armies,  colonel  of  the 
twenty-second  regiment,  general  commanding 
in  chief  all  the  forces  of  his  majesty  in  North 
America,  etc.,  etc.,  etc., 

'Whereas,  many  persons,  contrary  to  the  posi- 
tive orders  of  the  King  upon  the  subject,  have 
undertaken  to  make  settlements  beyond  the 
boundaries  fixed  by  the  treaties  made  with  the 
Indian  nations,  which  boundaries  ought  to 
serve  as  a  barrier  between)  the  whites  and  the 
said  nations;  and  a  great  number  of  persons 
have  established  themselves,  particularly  on 
the  Ouabache,  where  they  lead  a  Wandering 
life,  without  government  and  without  laws,  in- 
terrupting the  free  course  of  trade,  destroy- 
ing the  game  anid  causing  infinite  disturbance 
in  the  country,  which  occasions  considerable 
injury  to  the  affairs  of  the  King,  as  well  as  to 
those  of  the  Indians — his  majesty  has  been 
pleased  t:>  order,  and  by  these  presents  orders 
are  giver*  in  the  name  of  the  King,  to  all  who 
have  established  themselves  on  the  lands  upon 
the  Ouabache,  whether  at  St.  Vincent  or  else- 
where, tD  quit  those  countries  without  delay, 
and  to  retire  at  their  choice,  into  some  one  of 
the  colonies  of  bis  majesty,  where  they  will  be 
received  and  treated  as  the  other  subjects  of 
his  majesty.  Done  and  given  at  headquarters, 
New  York.  Signed  with  our  hand,  sealed  with 
our  seal  at  arms,  and  countersigned  by  our 
secretary,  this  8th  of  .April,  1772.  By  order  of 
the  King. 

"THOMAS   GAGE. 
"By  His  Excellency,  G.  Maturin,  Sec." 

It  was  this  proclamation  which  drew  forth 


the  protest  and  petition  from  the  inhabitants 
of  Vincennes,  to  which  reference  was  made 
above,  in  which  they  claimed  a  seventy  years' 
tenure  of  their  lands  at  "Old  Post." 

The  ostensible  grounds  upon  which  this  or- 
der of  Gen.  Gage  was  issued  were  by  nto  means 
the  real  reason  for  its  promulgation.  It  was  in 
pursurance  of  a  policy  inaugurated  in  1763,  by 
a  proclamation  from  King  George,  which  for- 
bade his  subjects  from  making  any  purchases 
or  settlements  whatever,  or  taking  possession 
of  any  of  the  lands  "beyond  the  sources  of  any 
of  the  rivers  which  fall  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean 
from  the  west  or  northwest,"  and  at  the  sug- 
gestion of  the  "English  Board  of  Trad*  and 
Plantations,"  the  British  government  took 
measures  to  confine  the  English  settlements  in 
America  to  such  a  distance  from  the  seacoast 
as  that  those  settlements  should  be  within  the 
reach  of  the  trade  and  commerce  of  Great 
Britain."  In  line  with  this  policy  the  govern- 
ment rejected  the  propositions  of  various  per- 
sons and  companies  who  desired  to  establ'sh 
colonies  in  the  west. 

The  jealousy  of  the  English  people  and  gov- 
ernment of  their  colonies  was  already  mani- 
festing itself  in  various  oppressive  policies  and 
measures  designed  to  repress  their  growth  and 
confine  the  benefits  of  their  commerce  to  the 
English  people.  The  nuclei  furnished  by  the 
French  settlements  within  the  imhibited  terri- 
tory provided  a  potent  attraction  to  enterpris- 
ing Englishmen  and  Americans  to  lead  them  in- 
to infractions  of  the  English  policy,  hence  the 
determination)  to  remove  the  French  population. 
No  doubt  the  policy  thus  inaugurated  would 
have  been  carried  out  and  the  "Old  Post"  and 
other  French  settlements  depopulated  but  for 
the  fact  that  the  events  supervening  gave  the 
English  government  all  it  could  attend  to  and 
more  in  the  eastern  section  of  its  domain. 


tion  to  get  between  them  and  the  village,  the  Indians  rushed  upon  them.  The  negroes  escaped  by  taking 
to  the  swamp:  the  other  white  man  was  killed  and  Bouchie  captured  after  a  brave  resistance,  which 
resulted  in  his  being  beaten  into  insensibility.  He  was  carried  south,  and  when  he  recovered  conscious- 
ness was  many  miles  away  and  on  the  west  side  of  the  Wabash.  After  several  days  march,  during  which 
he  was  greatly  maltreated',  they  reached  an  Indian  village,  where  he  became  the  special  charge  of  aj 
old  squaw.  He  took  pains  to  placate  her  and  she  soon  became  attached  to  him.  Finally  she  came  to  Mm 
one  night  with  the  announcement  that  the  Indians  in  council  had  determined  that  he  must  die,  and 
token  of  it  had  buried  their  tomahawks  in  a  tree.  She  bade  him  follow  her  and  led  the  way  'to  a 
thicket,  where  she  concealed  him  and  where  she  promised  to  feed  him.  At  dusk  the  next  day  she  ap- 
peared with  the  news  that  a  white  man  had  come  to  the  camp  and  wanted  to  buy  him.  He  returned 
with  her  to  camp  to  find  a  French  trader  on  his  way  to  Fort  Mobile.  He  was  duly  delivered  to  the 
trader,  who  later  told  him  that  he  was  on  friendly  terms  with  the  Indians,  and  seeing  their  tomahawks 
buried  in  the  tree  rightly  interpreted  the  circumstance  to  mean  that  a  white  man  was  to  be  killed  and 
had  determined  to  secure  his  release.  This  he  had  done  at  a  cost  of  thirty  horses.  He  conducted 
Bouchie  into  the  vicinity  of  an  English  fort  and  then  disappeared.  Bouchie  was  arrested  as  a  spy  by  the 
English  and  kept  in  confinement  until  the  fort  later  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  French,  when  he  made 
his  way  back  to  Vincennes  and  married  Mrs.  Cardinal's  daughter,  residing  here  till  his  death,  leaving 
numero'us  respectable  descendants.  I 


12 


V1NUENNES   IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


U 

Z 

D 

8 


H 
U 


Croghan's  Journal  is  authority  for  the  state- 
ment that  "in  1765  the  total  number  of  French 
families  within  the  limits  of  the  Northwestern 
territory  (comprising  the  settlements  about  De- 
troit, those  near  the  Wabash  and  the  colony  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Fort  Chartres),  did  mot 


probably  exceed  six  hundred.  Of  these  fami- 
lies about  eighty  or  ninety  resided  at  Post  Vin- 
cennes." 

Pursuant  to  a  policy  of  conciliation  adopted 
toward  its  Canadian  subjects  with  a  view  to 
the  approaching  colonial  troubles,  and  in  re- 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


13 


sponse  to  a  memorial  presented  by  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Quebec,  the  government  of  that  colony 
was  made  commensurate  with  its  former  boun- 
daries under  the  French  regime.  This  included 
"all  the  upper  countries,  known  under  the 
names  of  Michilimackinac,  Detroit,  and  other 
adjacent  places  as  far  as  the  Mississippi."  And 
thus  the  inhabitants  of  Vincennes  again  passed 
under  the  government  of  the  French  (now  ow- 
ing allegiance  to  Great  Britain)  colony  of  Que- 
bec. By  an  act  of  parliament,  passed  in  1774, 
the  British  government  guaranteed  the  French 
inhabitants  "the  free  exercise  of  their  religion 
and  to  the  Catholic  clergy  those  rigthts  which 
were  agreeable  to  the  articles  of  capitulation 
at  the  time  of  the  surrender  of  Canada  and  its 
dependencies."  The  same  act  of  parliament 
removed  from  the  French  inhabitants  the  ob- 
ligation of  trial  by  jury  in  civil  cases,  to  which 
they  exhibited  a  great  antipathy. 

Tthis  act  was  viewed  with  alarm  and  jealousy 
by  the  English  colonists,  who  saw  in  it  an  ef- 
fort to  enlist  the  sympathies  of  the  French  sub- 
jects of  Great  Britain  in  behalf  of  that  country 
in  the  event  of  war.  And  in  fact  their  estimate 
of  its  design  and  effect  were  by  no  means  with- 
out foundation,  as  the  French  colonists,  in  the 
early  days  of  the  war,  ardently  supported  the 
British  government,  and  we  are  told  that  "at 
the  French  settlements  northwest  of  the  Ohio 
Indian  war  parties  were  often  supplied  with 
arms  and  ammunition  and  sent  to  assail  the 
western  frontiers  of  the  English  colonies." 

In  1775,  Louis  Viviat,  a  merchant  of  the  Illi- 
nois country,  began  negotiations  with  the  Pian- 
keshaw  Indians  for  the  purchase  of  two  large 
tracts  of  land  lying  on  both  side  of  the  Wa- 
bash,  one  north  of  Vincennes  and  reaching  as 
far  south  as  "Point  Coupee  (about  twelve 
leagues  above  Post  St.  "Vincent,"  the  other  from 
the  "mouth  of  White  river,  where  it  empties  it- 
self Into  the  Wabash  (about  twelve  leagues  be- 
low Post  St.  Vincent),  then  down  the  Ouabache 
river,  by  the  several  courses  thereof,  until  it 
empties  itself  into  the  Ohio  river/'  These  two 
tracts  were  to  extend  on  the  Illinois  side  of  the 
river  thirty  leagues  back  and  on  the  Indiana 
side  forty  leagues  "(the  intedmediate  space  of 
twemty-four  leagues,  or  thereabouts,  between 
point  Coupee  and  the  mouth  of  the  "White  river 
aforesaid,  being  reserved  for  the  use  of  the  in- 
habitants of  Post  St.  Vincent  aforesaid,  with 
the  same  width  or  breadth  on  both  sides  of  the 
Ouabache  river,  as  is  hereby  granted  in  the 


two  other  several  tracts  of  land  above  bound- 
ed and  described.)" 

The  negotiations  conducted    by  Viviat    were 
on  behalf  of  an  association)  called  the  "Wabash 
Land  Co.,"  and  were  conducted    with    eleven 
Piankeshaw  chiefs.    A  deed  conveying  this  im- 
mense and  wealthy  domain  was  eventually  exe- 
cuted and  delivered,  in  consideration  of  "Four 
hundred   blankets,    twenty-two   pieces   Stroud, 
two  hundred  and  fifty  shirts,  twelve  gross  of 
star  gartering,  one  hundred  and  twenty  pieces 
of   ribbon,   twenty-four   pounds   of   vermillion, 
eighteen  pairs  of  velvet  housings,  one  piece  of 
malton,  fifty-two  fusils,  thirty-five  dozen  buck- 
horn-handle  knives,  forty  dozen  couteau  knives, 
five  hundred  pounds  of  brass  kettles,  ten  thous- 
and gun  flints,  six  hundred  pounds  of  gun  pow- 
der, two  thousand  pounds  of  lead,  four  hun- 
dred pounds  of  tobacco,  forty  bushels  of  salt, 
three  thousand  pounds  of  flour,  three  horses; 
also  the  following  quantities   of   silver  ware, 
viz:     Eleven  very  large  armands,  forty  wrist- 
bands,   six   wholemoons,    six   half  moons,    nine 
ear  wheels,  forty-six  large  crosses,  twenty-nine 
hairpipes,  sixty  pairs  of  earbobs,  twenty  dozen 
small   crosses,   twenty   dozen   nosecrosses   and 
one  hundred  and  tem  doz-en  brooches,  the  re- 
ceipt whtreof  is  hereby  acknowledged,"    etc. 
The  lands  which  this  deed  purported  to  convey 
for  this  trifling  consideration  amounted  to  no 
less  than  37,497,600  acres  and  worth  to-day,  at 
a  conservative  estimate,  leaving  out  of  consider- 
ation city  and  town  valuations,  $1,200,000,000. 
The  approach  of  hostilities  between  the  colo- 
nists and  Great  Britain  soon  after  distracted 
the  attention)  of  the  people  from  all  matters  of 
this  character  and  it  was  not  until  the  year  1780 
that  further  steps  were  taken  in  reference  to 
this  grant.     In  that  year    the    Wabasn    Land 
Company  and  the  Illinois  Land  Company,  an 
association  that  had  in  a  similar  manner  at- 
tempted to  grab  large  holdings  in  the  Illinois 
country,  consolidated  their  interests  under  the 
name  of  the  "United  Illinois  and  Wabash  Land 
Companies,"  and  sought  a  confirmation  of  their 
several  grants  at  the  hands  of  congress.    TheL' 
petitions  were  denied  but  they  kept  up  the  fight 
for  thirty  years,  until  1810;  to  no  purpose,  how- 
ever, as  congress  refused  to  acknowledge  the 
validity  and  binding  force  of  the  grants. 

In  the  month  of  May,  1777,  in  response  to  a 
proclamation  from  Edward  J.  Abbott,  British 
commandant  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  Post 
Vincennes  took  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  Great 


14 


VINCEXXES   IX   PICTURE   AXD   STORY 


Britain.     The  oath  taken  was  that  prescribed 
by  the  British  parliament  and  is  as  follows: 

"I,  A.  B.,  do  sincerely  promise  and  swear 
true  allegiance  to  His  Majesty,  King  George, 
and  him  will  defend  to  the  utmost  of  my  power, 
against  all  traitorous  conspiracies,  and  attempts 
whatsoever,  which  shall  be  made  against  his 
person,  crown  or  dignity;  and  I  will  do  my  ut- 
most endeavors  to  disclose  and  make  known 
to  his  Majesty,  his  heirs  and  successors,  all 
treasons  and  traitorous  conspiracies  and  at- 
tempts, which  I  shall  know  to  be  against  him 
or  any  of  them;  and  all  this  I  do  swear  with- 
out any  equivocation,  mental  evasion  or  secret 
reservation;  and  renouncing  all  pardons  and 
dispensations  from  any  power  or  person  to  the 
contrary.  So  help  me  God." 

It  was  about  this  time  that  Lieutenant  Gov- 
ernor Hamilton  began  to  send  from  Detroit 
messages  and  proclamations  to  the  various 
French  trading  posts  within  the  territory  north- 
west of  the  Ohio  river  as  well  as  to  the  various 
Indian  villages  within  the  same  territory,  de- 
signed to  incite  a  border  warfare  against  the 
frontier  settlers  in  Kentucky,  Ohio  and  Penn- 
sylvania. In  these  proclamations  Governor 
Hamilton  offered  rewards  for  scalps  and  gave 
no  encouragement  to  the  Indians  to  bring  in 
prisoners.  Hence,  it  often  happened  the  In- 
dians would  take  prisoners  on  their  forays 
and  compel  them  to  carry  the  plunder  they 
stole  into  the  vicinity  of  the  English  post  and 
then  tomahawk  and  scalp  them  in  order  to 
claim  the  hellish  reward. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

EXPEDITION  OF  COL.  GEORGE  ROGERS 
CLARK. 

In  the  spring  and  summer  of  1778  was  or- 
ganized, chiefly  in  Kentucky,  an  expedition 
fraught  with  the  most  important  consequences 


COL.  GEORGE  ROGERS  CLARK 

From  an  OifPainfing  in  Vincennes  University  Chapel. 

to  the  country  northwest  of  the  Ohio,  and  in- 
deed to  the  entire  country  in  rebellion,  and  hav- 
ing its  culmination  in  the  capture  of  Vin- 
cennes  by  a  small  band  of  hardy  frontiersmen, 
after  incredible  suffering  and  hardship,  under 
the  leadership  of  the  gallant  and  daring  Col. 
George  Rogers  Clark.* 

George  Rogers  Clark,  a  young  man  of 
only  25  years,  conceived  the  daring  en- 
terprise of  marching  through  the  wilder- 
ness to  Kaskaskia  and  Vincennes  and  captur- 
ing those  posts  from  the  British,  who  he  knew 
to  be  responsible  for  the  depredations  from 
which  the  frontier  settlements  had  suffered  so 
greatly.  Securing  authority  from  Governor 


*George  Rogers  Clark,  the  hero  of  this  expedition,  on  whose  valiant  deeds  rested  the  demands  of 
of  the  Americans  for  the  cession  of  the  territory  northwest  of  the  Ohio,  comprising  the  States  of  Illi- 
nois, Indiana  and  Michigan  ,  was  born  in  Albemarle  County.  Va.,  November  19,  1752.  His  middle  name 
was  his  mother's  patronymic.  He  was  of  prominent  family  on  both  sides  of  the  house,  both  the  Clarks 
and  the  Rogerses  being  people  of  wealth  and  influence.  Several  on  both  sides  gained  distinction  in  the 
revolutionary  war.  One  brother  of  George  Rogers  became  a  lieutenant  colonel  in  the  Continental  armies. 
The  birthplace  of  George  Rogers  Clark  was  two  miles  east  of  Charlottsville,  and  one  and  a  half  miles 
from  Monticello,  the  home  of  Jefferson  in  later  life,  and  two  and  a  half  miles  northeast  of  Shadwell, 
where  Jefferson  was  born.  They  were  doubtless  playmates  in  boyhood,  and  certain  it  is  that  in  later 
life  Jefferson  retained  the  strongest  attachment  and  friendship  for  Clark.  Like  the  Father  of  his  Coun- 
try, young  Clark  became  a  surveyor,  and  in  1771,  at 'the  age  of  nineteen  years,  crossed  the  mountains  for 
the  purpose  of  following  his  vocation  and  also  with  a  view  to  locating  some  lands  for  himself.  He  lo- 
cated a  claim  In  Ohio,  twenty-five  or  thirty  miles  below  the  present  site  of  Wheeling,  and  spent  sev- 
eral years  In  its  vicinity,  making  occasional  visits  home,  carrying  glowing  accounts  of  the  country, 
which  did  much  to  induce  immigration  thither.  Unconsciously  he  was  fitting  himself  for  the  brilliant 
career  that  was  in  store  for  him.  The  situation  of  the  settlers  In  this  part  of  the  territory  was  very  un- 
satisfactory, owing  to  a  doubt  which  existed  as  to  whether  or  not  they  owed  allegiance  to,  and  were  en- 
titled to  the  protection  of,  the  State  of  Virginia.  To  settle  this  point  Clark,  in  1776.  agitated  the  ques- 
tion and  called  a  meeting  at  Harrodsburg.  Ky.  Clark  was  elected  as  one  of  two  delegates  to  represent 
the  settlements  in  the  Virginia  House  of  Delegates.  This  was  not  exactly  what  Clark  had  had  in  mind, 
but  he  determined  to  accept.  The  journey  to  Williamsburg.  then  capital  of  Virginia,  began  shortly  after- 


YIXOEXXES   IX   PICTURE   AND  STORY 


15 


Patrick  Henry,  of  Virginia,  to  organize  a  force 
and  proceed  according  to  bis  proposed  plan 
Clark  proceeded  to  Kentucky  and  began  to  re- 
cruit bis  force,  leaving  arrangements  for  a  part 
of  his  proposed  army  of  350  to  be  recruited 
in  Virginia.  Almost  every  conceivable  obstacle 
presented  itself  to  prevent  realization  of  his 
hopes.  Of  the  four  companies  he  expected  from 
Virginia  but  one  arrived.  On  learning  to  what 
region  they  were  bound  these  deserted,  almost 
to  a  man.  So  that  when  he  got  ready  to  start 
he  could  muster  less  than  half  the  proposed 
number.  Nothing  daunted,  however,  and  with 
a  merve  and  determination  such  as  mark  the 
truly  great  commander,  he  struck  into  the  wil- 
derness, headed  for  Kaskaskia. 

Limitations  of  space  forbid  our  giving  an 
account  of  the  march  of  Col.  Clark  to  Kas- 
kaskia and  its  easy  capture,  'however  in- 
teresting it  would  prove.  It  must  suffice  to 
say  that  departing  on  the  24th  of  June,  1778, 
he  passed  from  Louisville  down  the  Ohio 
river,  leavinig  it  at  a  point  a  short  distance 
above  Fort  Messac,  which  stood  near  the  pres- 
ent little  city  of  Metropolis,  111.;  that  he  se- 
cured guides  and  made  an  uneventful  march 
across  the  country,  arriving  at  Kaskaskia  on 
the  evening  of  the  Fourth  of  July,  and  by 


great  tract  and  address  succeeded  in  getting  his 
men  over  the  river  and  taking  the  British  gar- 
rison by  surprise,  while  the  inmates  were 
asleep.  Quickly  every  resident  of  the  town 
was  disarmed  and  precautions  taken  to  pre- 
vent an  alarm  being  sent  to  neighboring  vil- 
lages, should  the  people  of  Kaskaskia  be  so 
disposed. 

With  a  great  display  of  severity,  Clark  threw 
a  few  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  town  into 
irons  and  made  threats  of  dire  vengeance 
against  them  should  the  people  transgress  his 
regulations  or  show  a  disposition  to  aid  the 
English  in  any  manner,  and  after  he  had,  as 
he  conceived,  worked  them  up  to  a  feeling  of 
distress  and  fear  sufficient  for  his  purposes,  he 
appeared  to  relent,  on  the  discovery  that  their 
unfriendliness  was  due  to  false  allegations  and 
misrepresentations  on  the  part  of  the  English. 
He  thus  surprised  them  and  gained  their  con- 
fidence in  a  degree  that  amounted  to  enthusi- 
asm. This  served  materially  to  strengthen  his 
hands  in  his  approaching  campaign  against 
Vincennes,  as  we  shall  see  from  his  own  ac- 
count. The  arrests  were  made  on  the  morning 
of  the  fifth  of  July..  Soon  afterwards  M. 
Gibault,  the  village  priest,  accompanied  by  five 
or  six  of  his  aged  parishioners,  appeared  be- 


ward,  in  company  with  his  colleague.  It  led  through  rough  and  sparsely  settled  country,  full  of  hostile 
Indians.  They  arrived  in  November,  to  find  the  Legislature  adjourned.  Clark's  colleague  returned  home 
immediately,  but  Clark,  determined  to  accomplish  something  toward  the  end  for  which  he  had  come  to  the 
capital,  called  upon  the  Governor,  Patrick  Henry.  Governor  Henry,  though  sick,  received  him  graciously 
and  gave  him  an  attentive  hearing.  Among  the  things  Clark  demanded  was  500  pounds  of  gunpowder. 
The  Governor  gave  him  a  letter  to  the  Executive  Council,  from  whom  he  at  first  received  a  denial.  By 
a  skillful  combination  of  threats  and  diplomacy  he  finally  carried  his  point  and  had  the  satisfaction  of 
delivering  to  his  harrassed  countrymen  the  powder  they  so  much  needed.  At  this  time,  though  not 
twenty-five  years  of  age,  Clark  had  already  acquired  so  strong  a  hold  upon  the  confidence,  respect  and 
affections  of  the  people  of  Kentucky  that  they  looked  to  him  as  their  natural  leader  in  all  matters  of 
public  concern. 

Clark  and  his  colleague  attended  the  next  session  of  the  Virginia  Legislature,  and,  though  denied  seats 
as  members  of  that  body,  they  were  permitted  to  lay  their  business  before  it  and  succeeded  in  getting 
their  settlement  erected" into  the  County  of  Kentucky.  Clark  early  discovered  that  the  troubles  of  the  fron- 
tier colonists  were  largely  due  to  the  commandants  of  the  British  posts  in  Illinois  and  Indiana,  and  de- 
termined on  their  reduction,  but  kept  his  plans  to  himself.  In  the  summer  of  1777  he  had  sent  two  young 
hunters  as  spies,  with  specific  Instructions,  to  Kaskaskia,  to  learn  the  strength  of  the  garrison  and  such 
other  information  as  would  be  of  value,  but  without  Imparting  to  them  his  designs.  The  information  re- 
ceived was  most  satisfactory  and  made  Clark  all  the  more  anxious  to  undertake  the  enterprise.  While 
In  attendance  on  the  Legislature,  in  1777.  he  used  his  eyes  and  ears  to  the  best  advantage  aud  finally, 
at  an  opportune  moment,  laid  his  plans  before  Governor  Henry.  The  latter  was  pleased  with  the 
Idea  and  brought  Clark's  plan  to  the  attention  of  the  Council,  where  it  was  so  warmly  received  that  he 
had  little  trouble  In  getting  matters  adjusted,  and  on  the  second  day  of  January,  1778,  he  received  his 
"instructions,  £1,200  Virginia  paper  currency,  and  an  order  on  Pittsburg  for  boats,  ammunition,  etc." 

After  the  events  'related  in  this  narrative  relative  to  the  expedition  against  Kaskaskia  and  Vin- 
cennes. Clark  did  further  honorable  service  to  his  country,  but  seems  to  have  been  the  subject  of  bitter 
animosity  and  to  have  been  frequently  misunderstood  and  misrepresented,  and  It  is  a  grief  to  relate  that 
he  died  at  the  home  of  a  sister  near  Louisville,  deprived  of  the  rights  his  services  to  Virginia  and 
the  whole  country  sholud  have  made  them  glad  to  grant  him.  Moneys  withheld  from  him  for  many  years 
when  he  was  a  feeble,  impoverished  old  man,  were  paid  his  heirs  after  his  death.  Retiring  to  a  cabin 
on  his  grant  of  lands  north  of  the  Ohio,  near  Louisville,  In  the  platted  town  of  Clarksville,  he  lived  alone 
for  many  years,  save  for  occasional  visits  of  old  friends.  Here,  ft  is  pitiable  to  relate,  he  fell  into  habits 
of  great  dissipation,  and  here  when  alone  one  day  about  the  year  1808,  he  suffered  a  stroke  of  paralysis 
and  fell  so  near  the  fire  that  his  left  leg  was  burned  to  such  an  extent  as  to  render  its  amputation 
necessary.  Though  he  lived  for  ten  years  after  that  date,  he  never  walked  again.  His  left  leg  gone 
and  his  right  one  paralyzed,  he  was  a  helpless  cripple.  He  was  taken  to  the  home  of  his  sister,  wife  of 
Major  Craghan,  near  Louisville,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  dying  February  13,  1818.  It 
is  related  that  on  the  occasion  of  the  amputation  of  his  leg,  anaesthetics  being  unknown,  at  the  re- 
quest of  Clark  music  on  drums  and  fifes  was  played,  to  which  Clark  kept  time.  When  the  music 
ceased  he  asked,  "Well,  is  it  off?"  having  apparently  been  unconscious  of  the  operation. 


16 


VINCBNNES  IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


Photo  by  Shores. 


VINCENNES  ON  A  CIRCUS  DAY.    3  Views  at  2d  and  Main 


fore  Col.  '  Clark  and 
stated  that  as  the  in- 
habitants expected  to 
be  separated,  perhaps 
never  to  meet  again,  it 
was  their  desire  that 
habitants  expected  to  be 
meet  at  their  church 
and  bid  each  other  fare- 
well. Disclaiming  any 
desire  or  intention  to  in- 
terfere in  any  manner 
with  their  religion  or 
worship.  Clark  gave 
the  permission  sought, 
but  warned  them  not  to 
attempt  to  leave  the  vil- 
lage. At  the  close  of 
the  meeting  a  deputa- 
tion headed  by  the 
good  priests  again 
waited  upon  Col.  Clark. 
They  stated  that  "their 
present  situation  was 
the  fate  of  war,  and 
that  they  could  submit 
to  the  loss  of  their  prop- 
erty, but  they  solicited 
that  they  might  not  be 
separated  from  their 
wives  and  children,  and 
that  some  clothes  and 
provisions  might  be  al- 
lowed for  their  sup- 
port." Feigning  great 
surprise  at  this  prayer 
of  the  affrighted  popu- 
lace, Clark  exclaimed, 
as  he  says  in  his  me- 
morial: "Do  you  mis- 
take us  for  savages?  I 
am  almost  certain  you 
do  from  your  language. 
Do  you  think  Ameri- 
cans intend  to  strip 
women  and  children 
and  take  the  bread 
out  of  their  mouths  T' 
"My  countrymen,"  con- 
tinued he,  "disdain  to 
make  war  on  helpless 
innocence.  It  was 
to  prevent  the  hor- 
rors of  Indian  butch- 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


17 


ery  upon  our  wives  and  children  that  we  have 
taken  arms  and  penetrated  into  this  remote 
stronghold  of  British  and  Indiani  barbarity,  and 
not  the  despicable  prospect  of  plunder.  Now 
that  the  King  of  France  had  united  his  power- 
ful armies  with  those  of  America,  the  war 
would  not,  in  all  probability,  continue  long,  but 
the  inhabitants  of  Kaskaskia  were  at  liberty 
to  take  which  side  they  pleased,  without  the 
least  danger  to  either  their  property  or  their 
families.  Nor  would  their  religion  be  any 
source  of  disagreement,  as  all  religions  were 
regarded  with  equal  respect  in  the  eye  of  the 
American  law,  and  that  any  insult  offered  it 
would  be  immediately  punished.  And  now,  to 
prove  my  sincerity,  you  will  please  inform  your 
fellow  citizens  that  they  are  quite  at  liberty 
to  conduct  themselves  as  usual,  without  the 
least  apprehension.  I  am  mow  convinced,  from 
what  I  have  learned  since  my  arrival  among 
you.  that  you  have  been  misinformed  and  pre- 
judiced against  us  by  the  British  officers;  and 
your  friends  who  are  in  confinement  shall  be 
immediately  released."  The  result  of  this 
stroke  of  policy  on)  the  part  of  the  brilliant 
young  officer  was  electric.  The  gloom  that 
had  overspread  the  village  was  dissipated  in  an 
instant;  the  news  of  the  Franco- American 
treaty,  added  to  Clark's  magnanimous  conduct, 
induced  the  imhabitants  quickly  to  take  the 
oath  of  allegiance  to  the  State  of  Virginia. 
Their  arms  were  restored  to  them  and  a  volun- 
teer company  of  French  militia  was  immedi- 
ately placed  at  Clark's  disposal  and  accom- 
panied Captain  Bowman  when  he  marched  to 
the  capture  of  Cahokia. 

CHAPTER   V. 

OLARK    MAKES    PREPARATIONS    TO    SE- 
CURE YINCENNES. 

"Post  Vincennes  never  being  out  of  my 
mind,"  says  Clark,  "and  from  some  things  that 
I  had  learned,  I  had  some  reason  to  suspect 
that  M..  Gibault,  the  priest,  was  inclined  to  the 
American  interest  previous  to  our  arrival  in 
the  country.  He  had  great  influence  over  the 
people  at  this  period,  and  Post  Vincennes  was 
under  his  jurisdiction.  I  made  no  doxibt  of  his 
integrity  to  us.  I  sent  for  him  und  had  a  long 
conference  with  him  on  the  subject  of  Post 
Vincennes.  In  answer  to  all  my  queries,  he 
informed  me  that  he  did  mot  think  it  worth  my 
while  to  cause  any  military  preparation  to  be 
made  at  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio  for  the  attack 


of  Post  Vincennes,  although  the  place  was 
strong,  and  a  great  number  of  Indians  in  its 
neighborhood,  who,  to  his  knowledge,  were 
generally  at  war — that  Governor  Abbott  had, 
a  few  weeks  before,  left  the  place  on  some 
business  to  Detroit — that  he  expected  that 
whem  the  inhabitants  were  fully  acquainted 
with  what  'had  passed  at  the  Illinois,  and  the 
present  happiness  of  their  friends,  and  made 
fully  acquainted  with  the  nature  of  the  war, 
that  their  sentiments  would  greatly  change — 
that  he  knew  that  his  appearance  there  would 
have  great  weight,  even  among  the  savages — 
that  if  it  was  agreeable  to  me  he  would  take 
this  business  on  himself,  and  had  no  doubt  of 
his  being  able  to  bring  that  place  over  to  the 
American  interest  without  my  being  at  the 
trouble  of  marching  against  it — that  his  busi- 
ness being  altogether  spiritual,  he  wished  that 
another  person  might  be  charged  with  the 
temporal  part  of  the  embassy,  but  that  he 
would  privately  direct  the  whole;  and  he  named 
Doctor  Lafont  as  his  associate. 

"This  was  perfectly  agreeable  to  what  I  had 
been  secretly  aimimg  at  for  some  days.  The 
plan  was  immediately  settled,  and  the  two 
doctors,  with  their  intended  retinue,  among 
whom  I  had  a  spy,  set  about  preparing  for 
their  journey  and  set  out  on  the  14th  of  July, 
with  an  address  to  the  inhabitants  of  Post 
Vincenes,  authorizing  them  to  garrison  their 
own  town  themselves,  which  would  convince 
them  of  the  great  confidence  we  put- in  them, 
etc.  All  this  had  its  desired  effect.  Mr. 
Gibault  and  his  party  arrived  safe,  and,  after 
spending  a  day  or  two  in  explaining  matters 
to  the  people,  they  universally  acceded  to  the 
proposal,  (except  a  few  emissaries  left  by  Mr. 
Abbott,  who  immediately  left  the  country), 
and  went  in  a  body  to  the  church,  where  the 
oath  of  allegiance  was  administered  to  them  in 
the  most  solemn  manner.  An  officer  was  elect- 
ed, the  fort  immediately  garrisoned,  and  the 
American  flag  displayed,  to  the  astonishment 
of  the  Indians,  and  everything  settled  far  be- 
yond our  most  sanguine  hopes.  The  people 
here  began  to  put  on  a  new  face,  and  to  talk 
in  a  different  style,  and  to  act  as  perfect  free- 
men. With  a  garrison  of  their  own,  with  the 
United  States  at  their  elbow,  their  language 
to  the  Indians  was  immediately  altered.  They 
began  as  citizens  of  the  United  States,  and  in- 
formed the  Indians  that  their  old  father,  the 
King  of  France,  was  come  to  life  again,  an<7 


18 


VIXCEXXES   IX   PICTURE   AXD   STORY 


was  mad  at  them  for  fighting  for  the  English, 
that  they  would  advise  them  to  make  peace 
with  the  Americans  as  soon  as  they  could, 
otherwise  they  might  expect  the  land  to  be 
very  bloody,  etc.  The  Indians  began  to  think 
seriously.  Throughout  the  country  this  was 
generally  the  language  they  got  from  their  an- 
cient friends  of  the  Wabasli  and  Illinois. 

"Through  the  means  of  their  correspondence 
spreading  among  the  nations,  our  batteries  be- 
gan now  to  play  in  a  proper  channel.  Mr.  Gi- 
bault  and  party,  accompanied  by  several  gentle- 
men of  Post  Vincennes,  returned  to  Kaskaskia, 


POST  OFFICE.     Rural  Carriers  Ready  to  Start 


about  the  first  of  August,  with  the  joyful  news. 
During  his  absence  on  this  business,  which 
caused  great  anxiety  in  me,  (for  without  the 
possession  of  the  post  all  our  views  would 
have  been  blasted),  I  was  exceedingly  engag- 
ed in  regulating  things  in  the  Illinois.  The  re- 
duction of  these  posts  was  the  period  of  the 
enlistment  of  our  troops.  I  was  nt  a  great  loss 
at  this  time  to  determine  how  to  act,  and  how 
far  I  might  venture  to  strain  my  authority.  My 
instructions  were  silent  on  many  important 
points,  as  it  was  impossible  to  fors'ee  the 
events  that  would  take  place. 

"To  abandon  the  country,  and  all  the  prospects 
that  opened  to  our  view  in  the  Indian  depart- 


ment at  this  tUne,  for  the  want  of  instruction 
in  certain  cases,  I  thought,  would  amount  to  a 
reflection  on  government,  as  having  no  confi- 
dence in  me.  I  resolved  to  usurp  all  the  author- 
ity necessary  to  carry  my  points.  I  had  the 
greater  part  of  our  (troop)  re-enlisted  on  a  dif- 
ferent establishment — commissioned  French  of- 
ficers in  the  country  to  command  a  company  of 
the  young  inhabitants;  established  a  garrison 
at  Cahokia,  commanded  by  Captain  Bowman; 
and  another  at  Kaskaskia,  commanded  by  Cap- 
tain Williams.  Post  Vincennes  remained  in  the 
situation  as  mentioned. 

"Col.  William 
Linn,  who  had  ac- 
companied us  a 
volunteer,  took 
charge  of  a  party 
that  was  to  be 
dis  c  h  a  r  g  e  d  on 
their  arrival  at 
the  Falls,  and  or- 
ders were  sent 
for  the  removal 
of  that  post  to 
the  mainland. 
Captain  John 
Montgomery  was 
dispatched  to 
government  with 
letters.  *  *  *  I 
again  turned  my 
attention  to  Post 
Vincennes.  I 
plainly  saw  that 
It  would  be  high- 
ly necessary,  to 
have  an  Ameri- 
can o  tH  c  e  r  at 

that  post.  Captain  Leonard  Helm  appeared 
calculated  to  answer  my  purpose;  he  was  past 
the  meridian  of  life,  and  a  good  deal  acquainted 
with  the  Indian!  (disposition).  I  sent  him  to 
command  at  that  post;  and  also  appointed  him 
agent  for  Indiana  affairs  in  the  department  of 
the  Wabash.  *  *  *  About  the  middle  of  August 
he  set  out  to  take  possession  of  his  new  com- 
mand. 

"An  Indian  chief  called  the  Tobacco's  Son,  a 
Piankeshaw,  at  this  time  resided  in)  a  village 
adjoining  Post  Vincennes. 

"This  mam  was  called  by  the  Indians,  'The 
Grand  Door  to  the  Wabash;'  and  as  nothing  of 
consequence  was  to  be  undertaken  by  the 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


19 


league  om  the  Wabash  without  his  assent,  I  dis- 
covered that  to  win  him  was  an  object  of  sig- 
nal importance. 

"I  sent  him  a  spirited  compliment  by  Mr. 
Gibault;  he  returned  it.  I  now  by  Captain 
Helm,  touched  him  on  the  same  spring  that  I 
had  done  the  inhabitants,  and  sent  a  speech 
with  a  belt  of  wampum;  directing  Captain 
Helm  how  to  manage,  if  the  chief  was  pacific- 
ally inclined,  or  otherwise.  The  captain  arrived 
safe  at  Post  Vincennes,  and  was  received  with 
acclamations  by  the  people.  After  the  usual 
ceremony  was  over,  he  sent  for  the  Grand 
Door,  and  delivered  my  letter  to  him.  After 
having  it  read,  'he  informed  the  captain  that  he 
\\jas  happy  to  see  him,  one  of  the  Big  Knife 
chiefs,  in-  this  town — It  was  here  that  he  had 
joined  the  English  against  him;  but  as  the 
contents  of  the  letter  was  a  matter  of  great 
moment,  he  could  not  give  an  answer  for  some 
time — that  he  must  collect  his  counselors  on 
the  subject;  and  was  in  hopes  the  captain 
would  be  patient. 

"In  short,  he  put  on  all  the  courtly  dignity  that 
he  was  master  of;  and  Captain  Helm,  following 
his  example,  it  was  several  days  before  this 
business  was  finished,  as  the  whole  proceeding 
was  very  ceremonious.  At  length  the  captain 
was  incited  to  the  Indian  council,  and  informed 
by  the  Tobacco  that  they  had  maturely  con- 
sidered the  case  in  hand,  and  had  got  the 
nature  of  the  war  between  the  English  and  us 
explained  to  their  satisfaction;  that,  as  we 
spoke  the  same  language,  and  appeared  to  be 
the  same  people,  he  always  thought  that  he 
was  in  the  dark  as  to  the  truth  of  it;  but  now 
the  sky  was  cleared  up;  that  he  found  that  the 
Big  Knife  was  in  the  right:  that  perhaps,  if  the 
English  conquered,  they  would  serve  them  in 
the  same  manner  they  had  intended  to  serve 
us;  that  his  ideas  were  quite  changed;  and  that 
he  would  tell  all  the  people  on  the  Wabash  to 
bloody  the  land  no  more  for  the  English.  He 
jumped  up,  struck  his  breast,  called  himself  a 
man  and  a  warrior,  said  that  now  he  was  a  Big 
Knife,  and  took  Captain  Helm  by  the  hand. 
His  example  was  followed  by  all  present,  and 
the  evening  was  spent  in  merriment.  Thus 
ended  this  valuable  negotiation,  and  the  saving 
of  much  blood.  *  *  *  In  a  short  time,  almost 
the  whole  of  the  various  tribes  of  the  different 
nations  along  the  Wabash,  as  high  as  the 
Ouiatenon,  came  to  Post  Vincennes  and  fol- 
lowed the  example  of  the  Grand  Door  chief; 


and  as  expresses  were  continually  passing  be- 
tween Captain  Helm  and  myself  the  whole 
time  of  these  treaties,  the  business  was  settled 
to  my  satisfaction  and  greatly  to  the  advantage 
of  the  public.  The  British  interest  daily  lost 
ground  in  this  quarter,  and  in  a  short  time  our 
influence  reached  the  Indians  on  the  river  St. 
Joseph,  and  the  border  of  Lake  Michigan!.  The 
French  gentleman  at  the  different  posts  that 
we  now  had  possession  of,  engaged  warmly  in 
our  interest.  They  appeared  to  vie  with  each 
other  in  promoting  the  business;  and  through 
the  means  of  their  correspondence,  trading 
among  the  Indians,  and  otherwise,  in  a  short 
time, the  Indians  of  the  various  tribes  inhabit- 
ing the  region  of  Illinois,  came  in  great  num- 
bers to  Cahokia,  in  order  to  make  treaties  of 
peace  with  us.  From  the  information  they  gen- 
erally got  from  the  French  gentlemen  (whom 
they  implicitly  believed)  respecting  us  they 
were  truly  alarmed;  and,  consequently,  we 
were  visited  by  the  greater  part  of  them  with- 
out any  invitation  from  us:  of  course  we  had 
greatly  the  advantage,  in  making  use  of  such 
language  as  suited  our  (interest).  Those  treaties 
which  commenced  about  the  last  of  August, 
and  continued  between  three  and  foiyr  weeks, 
were  probably  conducted  in  a  way  different 
from  any  other  known  in  America  at  that  time. 
I  had  been  always  convinced  that  our  general 
conduct  with  the  Indians  was  wrong;  that  in- 
viting them  to  treaties  was  considered  by  them 
in  a  different  manner  to  what  we  expected,  and 
imputed,  by  them,  to  fear;  and  that  giving 
them  great  presents  confirmed  it.  I  resolved 
to  guard  against  this,  and  I  took  great  pains 
to  make  myself  acquainted  fully  with  the 
French  and  Spanish  methods  of  treating  In- 
dians, and  with  the  manners,  gen'ius,  and  dis- 
position of  the  Indians  in  general.  As  in  this 
quarter  they  had  not  been  spoiled  by  us,  I  was 
resolved  that  they  should  not  be.  I  began  the 
business  fully  prepared,  having  copies  of  the 
British  treaties." 

At  the  first  great  council,  which  was  opened 
at  Cahokia,  am  Indian  chief  with  a  belt  of  peace 
in  his  hand,  advanced  to  the  table  at  which 
Colonel  Clark  was  sitting;  another  chief,  bear- 
ing the  sacred  pipe  of  the  tribe,  went  forward 
to  the  table;  and  a  third  chief  then  advanced 
with  fire  to  kindle  the  pipe.  When  the  pipe 
was  lighted  it  was  figuratively  presented  to  the 
heavens,  then  to  the  earth,  anfl  then  to  all  the 
good  spirits;  thus  invoking  the  heavens,  the 


20 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


earth  and  all  the  good  spirits  to  witness  what 
was  about  to  be  done.  After  the  observance  of 
thes*e  forms,  the  pipe  was  presented  to  Clark, 
and  afterward  to  every  person  present.  An 
Indian  speaker  then!  addressed  the  Indians  as 
follows:  "Warriors,  you  ought  to  be  thankful 
that  the  Great  Spirit  has  taken  pity  on  you,  and 
cleared  the  sky  and  opened  your  ears  and 
hearts,  so  that  you  may  hear  the  truth.  We 
have  been  deceived  by  bad  birds  flying  through 
the  land;  but  we  will  take  up  the  bloody 
hatchet  no  more  against  the  Big  Knife;  and 


existence  as  a  nation,  depended,  etc.,  and  dis- 
missed them — not  suffering  any  of  our  people 
to  shake  hands  with  them,  as  peace  was  not 
concluded,  telling  them  it  was  time  enough  to 
give  the  hand  when  the  heart  could  be  given 
also.  They  replied  that  'such  sentiments  were 
like  men  who  had  but  onto  heart,  and  did  not 
speak  with  a  double  tongue.'  The  next  day  I 
delivered  them  the  following  speech:  'Men  and 
Warriors!  pay  attention  to  my  words.  You  in- 
formed me  yesterday  that  the  Great  Spirit  had 
brought  us  together,  and  that  you  hoped,  as  He 


POST-OFFICE,  POSTMASTER  AND  EMPLOYES 


we  hope  as  the  Great  Spirit  has  brought  us  to- 
gether for  good,  as  He  is  good,  that  we  may  be 
received  as  friends,  and  that  the  belt  of  peace 
may  take  the  place  of  the  bloody  belt." 

"I  informed  them,"  says  Clark,  "that  I  had 
paid  attention  to  what  they  had  said;  and  that 
on  the  next  day  I  would  give  them  an  answer, 
when  I  hoped  the  ears  and  hearts  of  the  peo- 
ple would  be  open  to  receive  the  truth,  which 
should  be  spoken  without  deception.  I  advised 
them  to  keep  themselves  prepared  for  the  re- 
sult of  this  day,  on  which  perhaps  their  very 


was  good,  that  it  would  be  for  good.  I  have 
also  the  same  hope,  and  expect  that  each  party 
will  strictly  adhere  to  whatever  may  be  agreed 
upon — whether  it  be  peace  or  war — and  hence- 
forward prove  ourselves  worthy  the  attention 
of  the  Great  Spirit.  I  am  a  man  and  a  war- 
rior— not  a  counselor.  I  carry  war  in  my 
riglit  hand,  and  in  my  left,  peace.  I  am  sent  by 
the  great  council  of  the  Big  Knife,  and  their 
friends,  to  take  possession  of  all  the  towns  pos- 
sessed by  the  English  in  this  country;  and  to 
watch  the  motions  of  the  red  people;  to  bloody 


YIXCEXXES   IX   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


21 


the  paths  of  those  who  attempt  to  stop  the 
river;  but  to  clear  the  roads  from  us  to  those 
who  desire  to  be  in  peace,  that  the  women  and 
children  may  walk  in  them  without  meeting 
anything  to  strike  their  feet  against.  I  am  or- 
dered to  call  upon  the  Great  Fire  for  warriors 
enough  to  darken  the  land,  and  that  the  red 
people  may  hear  no  sound,  but  of  birds  who 
live  on  blood.  I  know  there  is  a  mist  before 
your  eyes.  I  will  dispel  the  clouds,  that  you 
may  clearly  see  the  cause  of  the  war  between 
the  Big  Knife  and  the  English;  then  you  may 
judge  for  yourselves  which  party  is  in  the 
right.  And  if  you  are  warriors  as  you  profess 
to  be,  prove  it  by  adhering  faithfully  to  the 
party  which  you  shall  believe  to  be  entitled  to 
your  friendship,  and  not  show  yourselves  to  the 
squaws. 

"The  Big  Knives  are  very  much  like  the  Red 
People;  they  don't  know  how  to  make  blankets, 
and  powder,  and  cloth.  They  buy  these  things 
from  the  English  from  whom  they  are  sprung. 
They  live  by  making  corn,  hunting  arid  trade, 
as  you  and  your  neighbors,  the  French,  do. 
But  the  Big  Knives,  daily  getting  more  numer- 
ous, like  the  trees  in  the  woods,  the  land  be- 
came poor,  and  hunting  scarce;  and  having  but 
little  to  trade  with,  the  women  began  to  cry  at 
seeing  their  children  naked,  and  tried  to  learn 
how  to  make  clothes  for  themselves.  They  soon 
made  blankets  for  their  husbands  and  children 
and  tne  men  learned  to  make  guns  and  powder. 
In  this  way  we  did  not  want  to  buy  so  much 
from  the  English.  They  then  got  mad  with  us 
and  sent  strong  garrisons  through  our  country; 
as  you  'see  they  have  done  among  you  on  the 
lakes  and  among  the  French.  They  would  not 
let  our  women  spin,  nor  oitr  men  make  powder, 
nor  let  us  trade  with  anybody  else.  The  Eng- 
lish said  we  should  buy  everything  from  them; 
and,  since  we  had  got  saucy,  we  should  pay  two 
bucks  for  a  blanket,  which  we  used  to  get  for 
one;  we  should  do  as  they  pleased;  and  they 
killed  some  of  our  people  to  make  the  rest  fear 
them.  This  is  the  truth  and  the  real  cause  of 
the  war  between  the  English  and  us,  which  did 
not  take  place  for  some  time  after  this  treat- 
ment. But  our  women  became  hungry  and 
cold,  and  continued  to  cry.  Our  young  men  got 
lost  for  want  of  counsel  to  put  them  in  the 
right  path.  The  whole  land  was  dark.  The  old 
men  held  down  their  heads  for  shame,  because 
they  could  not  see  the  sun;  and  thus  there  was 


mourning  for  many  years  over  the  land.  At 
last  the  Great  Spirit  took  pity  on  us,  and  kin- 
dled a  great  council  fire,  that  never  goes  out, 
at  a  place  called  Philadelphia.  He  then  stuck 
uown  a  post  and  put  a  war  tomahawk  by  it, 
and  went  away.  The  sun  immediately  broke 
out;  the  sky  was  blue  again:  and  the  old  men 
held  up  their  heads  and  assembled  at  the  fire. 
They  took  up  the  hatchet,  sharpened  it,  and 
put  it  into  the  hands  of  our  young  men,  ordered 
them  to  strike  the  English  as  long  as  they 
could  find  one  on  this  side  of  the  great  waters. 
The  young  men  immediately  struck  the  war 
post  and  blood  was  shed.  In  this  way  the  war 
began;  and  the  English  were  driven  from  one 
place  to  another  until  they  got  weak,  and  then 
they  hired  you  Red  People  to  fight  for  them. 
The  Great  Spirit  got  angry  at  this,  and  caused 
your  old  father,  the  French  king,  and  other 
great  nations,  to  join  the  Big  Knives  and  fight 
with  them  against  all  their  enemies.  So  the 
English  have  become  like  deer  in  the  woods; 
and  you  may  see  that  it  is  the  Great  Spirit  that 
has  caused  your  waters  to  be  troubled,  because 
you  have  fought  for  the  people  he  was  mad 
with.  If  your  women  and  children'  should  now 
cry,  you  must  blame  yourselves  for  it  and  not 
the  Bi^  Knives. 

"Yon  can  now  judge  who  is  in  the  right.  I 
have  already  told  you  who  I  am.  Here  is  a 
bloody  belt  and  a  white  one;  take  which  you 
please.  Behave  like  men;  and  don't  let  your 
being  surrounded  by  Big  Knives,  cause  you  to 
take  up  the  one  belt  with  your  hands  while 
your  hearts  take  up  the  other.  If  you  take  the 
bloody  path,  you  shall  leave  the  town>  in  safety, 
and  may  go  and  join  your  friends  the  English. 
We  \vill  then  try,  like  warriors,  who  can  put 
the  most  stumbling  blocks  in  each  other's  way, 
and  keep  our  clothes  longest  stained  with 
blood.  If  on  the  other  hand  you  should  take 
the  path  of  peace,  and  be  received  as  brothers 
to  the  Big  Knives,  with  their  friends,  the 
French,  should  you  them  listen  to  bad  birds 
flying  through  the  land,  you  will  no  longer  de- 
serve to  be  counted  as  men,  but  as  creatures 
with  two  tongues  that  ought  to  be  destroyed 
without  listening  to  anything  you  might  say. 
As  I  am  convinced  you  never  heard  the  truth 
before,  I  do  not  wish  you  to  answer  before  you 
have  taken  time  to  counsel.  We  will,  therefore, 
part  this  evening;  and  when  the  Great  Spirit 
shall  bring  us  together  again,  let  us  speak  and 


22 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


think   like  men  with   but  one  heart  and   one 
tongue. 

"The  n<ext  day  after  this  speech,  a  new  fire 
was  kindled  with  more  than  usual  ceremony: 


paid  great  attention  to  what  the  Great  Spirit 
had  put  into  my  heart  to  say  to  them.  They 
believed  the  whole  to  be  the  truth;  as  the  Big 
Knives  did  not  speak  like  amy  other  people 


£ 

CO 


a, 

c/3 


z 

E 

h 


z< 

o- 
5 

8 


an  Indian  speaker  came  forward  and  paid, 
'they  ought  to  be  thankful  that  the  Great 
Spirit  had  taken  pity  on  them,  and  opened  their 
ears  and  hearts  to  receive  the  truth.'  He  had 


they  had  ever  heard.  They  now  saw  they  had 
been  deceived,  and  that  the  English  had  told 
them  lies,  and  that  I  had  told  them  the  truth — 
just  as  some  of  their  old  men  had  always  told 


VINOBNNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


23 


them.  They  now  believed  that  we  were  in 
the  right;  and  as  the  English  had  forts  in  their 
country,  they  might,  if  they  got  strong  enough, 
want  to  serve  the  Red  People  as  they  had 
treated  the  Big  Knives.  The  Red  People  ought, 
therefore,  to  help  us;  and  they  had  with  a 
cheerful  heart  taken  up  the  belt  of  peace  and 
spurned  that  of  war.  They  were  determined 
to  iiold  the  former  fast;  and  they  would  have 
no  doubt  of  our  friendship  from  the  manner  of 
our  speaking — so  different  from  that  of  the 
English. 

"They  would  now  call  in  their  warriors  and 
throw  the  tomahawk  into  the  river,  where  it 
could  never  be  found.  They  would  suffer  no 
more  bad  birds  to  fly  through  the  land,  dis- 
quieting the  women  and  children.  They  would 
be  careful  to  smooth  the  roads  for  their 
brothers,  the  Big  Knives,  whenever  they  might 
wish  to  come  to  see  them.  Their  friends  should 
hear  of  the  good  talk  I  had  given  them,  and 
they  hoped  I  would  send  chiefs  among  them, 
with  my  eyes,  to  see  myself  that  they  were 
men,  and  strictly  adhered  to  all  they  had  said 
at  this  great  fire,  which  the  Great  Spirit  had 
kindled  at  Cahokia,  for  the  good  of  all  people 
who  would  attend  it." 

The  sacred  pipe  was  again'  kindled  and  pre- 
sented, figuratively,  to  the  heavens  and  the 
earth  and  to  all  the  good  spirits,  as  a  witness 
of  what  they  had  done.  The  Indians  and  the 
white  men  then  closed  the  council,  by  smoking 
the  pipe  and  shaking  hands.  With  no  material 
variation  either  of  the  forras  that  were  ob- 
served or  of  the  speeches  that  were  made,  at 
this  council,  Colonel  Clark  and  his  officers  con- 
cluded treaties  of  peace  with  the  Piankeshaws, 
Ouiatenons,  Kickapoos,  Illinois,  Kaskaskias, 
Peorias,  and  branches  of  some  other  tribes  that 
inhabited  the  country  between  Lake  Michigan 
and  the  Mississippi. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

VINCENNES  CAPTURED  BY  GOV.  HAMIL- 
TON—CLARK MAKES  PREPARATIONS 
TO  MARCH  AGAINST  THE  POST. 

Clark  had  acquainted  Governor  Henry  with 
the  happy  result  of  his  expedition  against 


Kaskaskia  and  the  other  settlements  in  the  Illi- 
nois. In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  French  in- 
habitants of  Kashaskia,  Cahokia  and  Post 
Vincennes  had  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance  to 
the  State  of  Virginia,  the  legislative  assembly 
of  that  state,  in  October,  1778,  passed  an  act 
erecting  the  country  northwest  of  the  Ohio  into 
a  county  to  be  known  as  Illinois  County,  and 
the  governor  was  empowered  to  appoint  a 
county  lieutenant  or  commander-in-chief,  "dur- 
ing pleasure,  who  shall  appoint  and  commission 
as  many  deputy  commandants,  militia  officers 
and  commissaries  as  he  shall  think  proper  in 
the  different  districts,  during  pleasure;  all  of 
whom,  before  they  enter  into  office,  shall  take 
the  oath  of  fidelity  to  this  commonwealth,  and 
the  oath  of  office,  according  to  the  form  of 
their  own  religion."  Provision*  was  made  for 
the  election  of  all  necessary  civil  officers  by  the 
inhabitants  in  their  respective  districts,  for 
which  purpose  they  should  be  convened  by  the 
county  lieutenant  or  his  deputy. 

Before  the  provisions  of  this  law  were  carried 
into  effect,  Henry  Hamilton,  the  British  lieu- 
tenant-governor of  Detroit,  collected  a  force 
consisting  of  about  thirty  regulars,  fifty  French 
volunteers  and  400  Indians  and  passing  down 
the  Wabash  took  possession  of  Post  Vincennes 
on  the  15th  of  December,  1778,  the  inhabitants 
of  the  town  making  no  resistance  and  Captain 
Helm  being  powerless.  Captain  Helm  was  de- 
tained a  prisoner  and  the  French  inhabitants 
disarmed.* 

Clark's  position  at  Kaskaskia  now  became 
perilous.  Detached  parties  of  hostile  Indians 
began  to  appear  in  the  neighborhood  of  his 
forces  in  the  Illinois.  Realizing  his  position,  he 
recalled  Bowman  from  Cahokia  to  Kaskaskia, 
and  began  a  serious  consideration  of  measures 
to  meet  the  exigencies  of  his  situation.  His 
memoir  now  continues: 

"I  could  see,"  says  Clark,  "but  little  proba- 
bility of  keeping  possession  of  the  country,  as 
my  number  of  men  were  too  small  to  stand  a 
siege,  and  my  situation  too  reniote  to  call  for 
assistance.  I  made  every  preparation  I  pos- 
sibly could  for  the  attack  and  was  necessitated 
to  set  fire  to  some  houses  in  town  to  clear  them 


*Butler's  History  of  Kentucky  relates  the  following  anecdote  as  to  what  took  place  at  the  fort: 
"When  Governor  Hamilton  entered  Vincennes  there  were  hut  two  Americans  there,  Capt.  Helm,  the 
commandant  ond  one  Henry.  The  latter  had  a  cannon  well  charged  and  placed  in  the  open  gate  of 
the  fort,  while  Helm  stood  by  with  a  lighted  match  in  his  hand.  When  Hamilton  and  his  troops  got 
within  nailing  distance,  the  American  officer,  in  a  loud  voice,  called  out  'Halt!'  This  stopped  the  move- 
ments of  Hamilton,  who,  in  reply,  demanded  a  surrender  of  the  garrison.  Helm  exclaimed,  with  an 
oath.  'No  man  shall  enter  until  I  know  the  terms."  Hamilton  answered,  'You  shall  have  the  honors  of 
war,'  and  then  the  fort  was  surrendered,  with  its  garrison  of  one  officer  and  one  private." 


24 


VINCENXES   IN   PICT  ORE   AND   STORY 


out  of  the  way.  But  on  the  29th  of  January, 
1771),  in  the  height  of  the  hurry,  a  Spanish  mer- 
chant (Francis  Vigo)  who  had  been*  at  Post 
Vincennes,  arrived  and  gave  the  following  in- 
telligence: That  Mr.  Hamilton  had  weakened 
himself  by  sending  his  Indians  against  the 
frontiers,  and  to  block  up  the  Ohio;  that  he  had 
nt»t  more  than  eighty  men  in  garrison,  three 
pieces  of  cannon  and  some  swivels  mounted; 
that  the  hostile  Indians  were  to  meet  at  Post 
Vincennes  in  the  spring,  drive  us  out  of  Illi- 
nois and  attack  the  Kentucky  settlements,  in  a 
body,  joined  by  their  southern  friends;  that  all 
the  goods  were  taken  from  the  merchants  of 
Post  Vincennes  for  the  king's  use;  that  the 
troops  under  Hamilton  were  repairing  the  fort, 
and  expected  a  reinforcement  from  Detroit  in 
the  spring;  that  they  appeared  to  have  plenty 
of  all  kinds  of  stores;  that  they  were  strict  in 

'Photo  by  Shores. 


mediately  make  our  way  good  to  Kentucky  we 
were  convinced  that  before  we  could  raise  a 
force  even  sufficient  to  save  that  country,  it 
would  be  too  late,  as  all  the  mem  in  it,  joined 
by  the  troops  we  had,  would  not  be  sufficient, 
and  to  get  timely  succor  from  the  interior  was 
out  of  the  question.  We  saw  but  one  alterna- 
tive, which  was  to  attack  the  enemy  in  their 
quarters.  If  we  were  fortunate  it  would  save 
the  whole.  If  otherwise,  it  would  be  nothing 
more  than  what  would  certainly  be  the  conse- 
quence if  we  should  not  make  the  attempt. 

"These  and  many  other  similar  reasons,  in- 
duced us  to  resolve  to  attempt  the  enterprise, 
which  rnet  with  the  approbation  of  every  indi- 
vidual belonging  to  us. 

"Orders  were  immediately  issued  for  prepara- 
tions. The  whole  country  took  fire  at  the  alarm, 
and  every  order  was  executed  with  cheerful- 


THE  WE  SEVEN 


their  diciplinte,  but  he  did  not  believe  they  were 
under  much  apprehension  of  a  visit;  and  be- 
lieved, that  if  we  could  get  there  undiscovered, 
we  might  take  the  place.  In  short,  we  got 
every  information  from  this  gentleman  that  we 
could  wish  for,  as  he  had  had  good  opportuni- 
ties and  had  taken  great  pains  to  inform  him- 
self with  a  design  to  give  intelligence. 

"We  now  viewed  ourselves  in  a  very  critical 
situation — in  a  manner  cut  off  from  any  inter- 
course between  us  and  the  United  States.  We 
knew  that  Governor  Hamilton,  in  the  spring, 
by  a  junction  of  his  northern  and  southern  In- 
dians, (which  he  had  prepared  for)  would  be 
at  the  head  of  such  a  force  that  nothing  in  this 
quarter  could  withstand  his  arms — that  Ken-  • 
tucky  must  immediately  fall:  and  well  if  the 
desolation  would  end  there.  If  we  could  im- 


ness  by  every  description  of  inhabitants — pre- 
paring provisions,  encouraging  volunteers,  etc., 
etc.,  and  as  we  had  plenty  of  stores,  every  man 
was  completely  rigged  with  what  he  could  de- 
sire to  withstand  the  coldest  weather.  *  *  * 
To  convey  our  artillery  and  stores,  it  was  con- 
cluded to  send  a  vessel  around  by  water,  so 
strong  that  she  might  force  her  way.  A  large 
Mississippi  boat  was  immediately  purchased, 
and  completely  fitted  out  as  a  galley,  mounting 
two  four-pounders,  and  four  large  swivels.  She 
was  manned  by  forty-six  men  under  the  com- 
mand of  Captain  John  Rogers..  He  set  sail  on 
the  4th  of  February,  with  orders  to  force  his 
way  up  the  Wabash  as  high  as  WThite  river,  and 
to  secrete  himself  until  further  orders:  but  if 
he  found  himself  discovered,  to  do  the  enemy 
all  the  damage  he  could,  without  running  too 


VINCENNES   IX   PICTURE  AND  STORY 


25 


great  a  risk  of  losing  his  vessel,  and  not  to 
leave  the  river  until  he  was  out  of  hope  of  our 
arrival  by  land.  We  had  great  dependence  on 
this  galley.  She  was  far  superior  to  anything 
the  enemy  could  tit  out  without  building  a  ves- 
sel; and  at  the  worst,  it'  we  were  discovered, 
we  could  build  a  number  of  large  pirogues, 
such  as  they  possessed,  to  attend  her,  and  with 
such  a  little  fleet,  perhaps,  pester  the  enemy 
very  much;  and  if  we  saw  it  our  interest,  force 
a  lauding;  at  any  rate  it  would  be  some  time 
before  they  could  be  a  match  for  us  on  the 
water. 

"Everything  being  ready,  on  the  5th  of  Febru- 
ary, after  receiving  a  lecture  and  absolution 
from  the  priest,  we  crossed  the  Kaskaskia 
river  with  one  hundred  and  seventy  men — 
marched  about  three  miles  and  encamped, 
where  we  lay  until  the  7th,  and  set  out.  The 
weather  wet,  but  fortunately  not  cold  for 
the  season,  and  a  great  part  of  the  plains  under 
water  several  inches  deep;  it  was  difficult  and 
very  fatiguing  marching.  My  object  now  was 
to  keep  the  men  in  spirits.  I  suffered  them  to 
shoot  game  on  all  occasions;  and  feast  on  it 
like  Indian  war-dancers — each  company  by 
turns  inviting  the  others  to  their  feasts,  which 
was  the  case  every  night,  as  the  company  that 
was  to  give  the  feast  was  always  supplied  with 
horses  to  lay  up  a  sufficient  store  of  wild  meat 
in  the  course  of  the  day — myself  and  principal 
officers  putting  on  the  woodsman  now  and  then, 
and  running  as  much  through  the  mud  and 
water  as  any  of  them.  Thus,  insensibly,  with- 
out a  murmur,  were  those  men  led  on  to  the 
banks  of  the  Little  Wabash,  which  we  reached 
on  the  thirteenth  through  incredible  difficulties, 
far  surpassing  anything  that  any  of  us  had 
^ver  experienced.  Frequently  the  diversions  of 
the  night  wore  off  the  thoughts  of  the  preced- 
ing day.  We  formed  a  camp  on  a  height  which 
we  found  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  suffered 
our  troops  to  amuse  themselves.  I  viewed  this 
sheet  of  water  for  some  time  with  distrust, 
without  holding  any  consultation  about  it  or 
suffering  anybody  else  to  do  so  in  my  presence, 
ordered  a  pirogue  to  be  built  immediately,  and 
acted  as  though  crossing  the  water  would  be 
only  a  piece  of  diversion.  As  but  few  could 
work  at  the  pirogue,  at  a  time,  pains  were 
taken  to  find  diversion  for  the  rest,  to  keep 
them  in  spirits.  *  *  *  In  the  evening  of  the 
14th.  our  little  vessel  was  finished,  manned, 
and  sent  to  explore  the  drowned  lands  on  the 


opposite  side  of  the  Little  Wabash,  with  pri- 
vate instructions  what  report  to  make,  and,  if 
possible,  to  find  some  spot  of  dry  land.  They 
found  about  half  an  acre,  and  marked  the 
trees  irom  thence  back  to  camp,  and  made  a 
very  favorable  report. 

"Fortunately,  the  15th  happened  to  be  a 
warm,  moist  day  for  the  season.  The  channel 
of  the  river  where  we  lay  was  about  thirty 
yards  wide.  A  scaffold  was  built  on  the  oppo- 
site shore  (which  was  about  three  feet  under 
water)  and  our  oaggage  ferried  across,  and  put 
on  it;  our  horses  swam  across,  and  received 
their  loads  at  the  scaffold;  by  which  time  the 
troops  were  also  brought  across,  and  we  be 
gan  our  march  through  the  water.  *  *  * 

"By  evening  we  found  ourselves  encamped 
on  a  pretty  height  in  high  spirits;  each  party 
laughing  at  the  other,  in  consequence  of  some- 
thing that  had  happened  in  the  course  of  'this 
ferrying  business,'  as  they  called  it.  A  little 
antic  drummer  afforded  them  great  diversion 
by  floating  on  his  drum,  etc.  All  this  was 
greatly  encouraged;  and  they  really  began  to 
think  themselves  superior  to  other  men,  and 
that  neither  the  rivers  nor  the  seasons  could 
stop  their  progress.  Their  whole  conversation 
now  was  concerning  what  they  would  do  when 
they  got  about  the  enemy.  They  now  began  to 
view  the  main  Wabash  as  a  creek,  and  made 
no  doubt  that  such  men  as  they  were  could 
find  a  way  to  cross  it.  They  wound  themselves 
up  to  such  a  pitch  that  they  soon  took  Post 
Yincennes,  divided  the  spoils,  and  before  bed- 
time were  far  advanced  on  their  route  to  De- 
troit. All  this  was  no  doubt  pleasing  to  tliose 
of  us  who  had  more  serious  thoughts.  *  *  * 

"We  were  now  convinced  that  the  whole  of 
the  low  country  on  the  Wabash  was  drowned, 
and  that  the  enemy  could  easily  get  to  us,  if 
they  discovered  us,  and  wished  to  risk  an 
action;  if  they  did  not,  we  made  no  doubt  of 
crossing  the  river  by  some  means  or  other. 
Even  if  Captain  Rogers,  with  our  galley,  did 
not  get  to  the  station  agreeable  to  his  appoint- 
ment, we  flattered  ourselves  that  all  would  be 
well,  and  marched  on  in  high  spirits." 

Here  follows  an  extract  from  the  manuscript 
journal  of  Major  Bowman: 

"February  Kith,  1770. — .Marched  all  day 
through  rain  and  water.  Crossed  the  Fur 
River.  Our  provisions  begin  to  be  short. 

"17th. — Marched  early:  crossed  several  runs 
very  deep;  sent  Mr.  Kernedy.  our  commissary, 


26 


YINCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


with  three  men,  to  cross  river  Embarrass,  if 
possible,  and  proceed  to  a  plantation  opposite 
Post  Vinicennes,  in  order  to  steal  boats  or 
canoes  to  ferry  us  across  the  Wabash.  About 
an  houv  by  sun,  we  got  near  the  river  Embar- 
rass, found  the  country  all  overflown  by  water. 
We  strove  to  find  the  Wabash.  Traveled  till 
eight  o'clock  in  mud  and  water,  but  found  no 
place  to  encamp  on.  Still  keep  marching  on, 
but  after  some  time  Mr.  Kernedy  and  his  party 
returned.  Found  it  impossible  to  cross  the 
Embarrass  River.  We  found  the  water  falling 
from  a  small  spot  of  ground.  Staid  there  the 
remainder  of  the  night.  Drizzling  and  dark 
weather. 

'Photo  by  Townsley. 


McCarty,  with  three  of  his  men  embarked  in 
the  canoe,  and  made  the  next  attempt  to  steal 
boats;  but  he  soon  returned,  having  discovered 
four  large  fires  about  a  league  distant  from 
our  camp.  They  seemed  to  be  the  fires  of 
whites  and  Indians.  Immediately  Colomel  Clark 
sent  two  men  in  the  canoe,  down  to  meet  the 
galley,  with  orders  to  come  on  day  and  night — 
that  being  our  last  hope, — and  (we)  starving. 
Many  of  the  men  were  much  cast  down,  par- 
ticularly the  volunteers.  No  provision  of  any 
sort,  now  two  days.  Hard  fortune. 

20th. — Camp  very  quiet,  but  hungry.  Some 
almost  in  despair.  Many  of  the  Creole  volun- 
teers talking  of  returning.  Fell  to  making 


A  KNOX  COUNTY  MELON  FIELD.    Planting  Time 


"18th — At  daybreak  hear  Governor  Hamil- 
ton's morning  gun.  Set  off,  and  marched  down 
the  river  (Embarrass) — saw  some  fine  land. 
About  two  o'clock,  came  to  the  bank  of  the 
Wabash;  made  rafts  for  four  men;  to  cross  and 
go  up  to  town  and  steal  boats;  but  they  spent 
the  day  and  night  in  the  water  to  no  purpose; 
for  there  was  not  one  foot  of  dry  land  to  be 
found. 

"19th. — Captain  McCarty's  company  set  to 
making  a  canoe;  and  at  three  o'clock  the  four 
men  returned,  after  spending  the  night  on  some 
logs  in  the  water.  The  canoe  finished;  Captain 


more  canoes,  when  about  twelve  o'clock^  our 
sentry  on  the  river  brought. to  a  boat  with  five 
Frenchmen  from  the  fort,  who  told  us  we  were 
not  yet  discovered — that  the  inhabitants  were 
well  disposed  to  us,  etc.  *  *  *  They  informed 
us  of  two  canoes  they  had  seen  adrift  some  dis- 
tance above  us.  Ordered  that  Captain  Worth- 
ington,  with  a  party,  go  in  search  of  them. 
Returned  late,  with  one  only.  One  of  our  men 
killed  a  deer,  which  was  brought  into  camp; 
very  acceptably. 

"21st. — At  break  of  day,  began  to  ferry  our 
men   over   (the   Wabash)    in   two   canoes   to   a 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


27 


small  bill  called  the  Mamelle.  Captain 
Williams,  with  two  men,  went  to  look  for  a 
passage,  and  were  discovered  by  two  men  in 
a  canoe,  but  could  not  fetch  them  to.  The 
whole  army  being  over,  we  thought  to  get  to 
town  that  night,  so  plunged  into  the  water, 
sometimes  to  the  neck,  for  more  than  one 
league,  when  we  stopped  on  a  hill  of  the  same 
name — there  being  no  dry  land  on  any  side  for 
many  leagues.  Our  pilots  say  we  cannot  get 
along — that  it  is  impossible.  The  whole  army 
being  over,  we  encamped.  Rain  all  this  day. 
No  provisions." 

The  Memoir  of  Clark  proceeds:  "This  last 
day's  march  through  the  water,  was  far 
superior  to  anything  the  Frenchmen  had  any 
idea  of.  They  were  backward  in  speaking — 
said  that  the  nearest  land  to  us  was  a  small 
league  called  Sugar  Camp,  on  the  bank  of  the 
river  (?).  A  canoe  was  sent  off,  and  returned 
without  finding  that  we  could  pass.  I  went  in 
her  myself,  and  sounded  the  water,  found  it 
deep  as  to  my  neck.  I  returned 'with  a  design 
to  have  the  men  transported  on  board  the 
canoes  to  the  Sugar  Camp,  which  I  knew  would 
spend  the  whole  day  and  ensuing  night,  as  the 
vessels  would  pass  slowly  through  the  bushes. 
The  loss  of  so  much  time,  to  men  half  starved, 
was  a  matter  of  consequence.  I  would  have 
given  now,  a  great  deal  for  a  day's  provision, 
or  for  one  of  our  horses.  I  returned  but  slowly 
to  the  troops,  giving  myself  time  to  think.  On 
our  arrival,  all  ran  to  hear  what  was  the  re- 
port. Every  eye  was  fixed  on  me.  I  unfortun- 
ately spoke  in  a  serious  manner  to  one  of  the 
officers;  the  whole  were  alarmed  without  know- 
ing what  I  said.  I  viewed  their  confusion  for 
about  one  minnite — whispered  to  those  near  me 
to  do  as  I  did;  immediately  put  some  water  in 
my  hand,  poured  on  powder,  blackened  my 
face,  gave  the  war  whoop,  and  marched  into 
the  water  without  saying  a  word.  The  party 
gazed,  and  fell  in,  one  after  another,  without 
saying  a  word,  like  a  flock  of  sheep. 

"I  ordered  those  near  me  to  begin  a  favorite 
song  of  theirs;  it  soon  passed  through  the  line 
and  the  whole  went  on  cheerfully.  I  now  in- 
tended to  have  them  transported  across  the 
deepest  part  of  the  water;  but  when  about 
waist  deep,  one  of  the  men  informed  me  that 
he  felt  a  path.  We  examined,  and  found  it  so; 
and  concluded  that  it  kept  on  the  highest 
ground,  which  it  did;  and  by  taking  pains  to 
follow  it  we  got  to  Sugar  Camp  without  the 


least  difficulty,  where  there  was  about  an  acre 
of  dry  ground,  at  least  not  under  water,  where 
we  took  up  our  lodging. 

"The  Frenchmen  that  we  had  taken  on  the 
river  appeared  to  be  uneasy  at  our  situation. 
They  begged  that  they  might  be  allowed  to  go 
in  the  two  canoes  to  towm  in  the  night.  They 
said  that  they  would  bring  from  their  own 
houses  provisions,  without  a  possibility  of  any 
persons  knowing  it;  that  some  of  our  men 
should  go  with  them,  as  a  security  of  their 
good  conduct;  that  it  was  impossible  we  could 
march  from  that  place  till  the  water  fell,  for 
the  plain  was  too  deep  to  march.  Some  of  the 
(officers)  believed  that  it  might  be  done.  I 
would  not  suffer  it.  I  never  could  well  account 
for  this  piece  of  obstinacy,  and  give  satis- 
factory reasons  to  myself,  or  to  anybody  else, 
why  I  denied  a  proposition  apparently  so  easy 
to  execute,  and  of  so  much  .advantage;  but 
something  seemed  to  tell  me  that  it  should  not 
be  done,  and  it  was  not  done. 

"The  most  of  the  weather  that  we  had  on 
this  march,  was  moist  and  warm,  for  the  sea- 
son. This  was  the  coldest  niight  we  had.  The 
ice,  in  the  morning,  was  found  one-half  to 
three-quarters  of  an  inch  thick,  near  the  shores, 
and  in  still  water.  The  morning  was  the  finest 
we  had  on  our  march.  A  little  after  sunrise 
I  lectured  the  whole..  What  I  said  to  them  I 
forget;  but  it  may  be  easily  imagined  by  a  per- 
son that  could  possess  my  affections  for  them 
at  that  time.  I  concluded  by  informing  them 
that  passing  the  plain  that  was  then  in  full 
view,  and  reaching  the  opposite  woods,  would 
put  an  end  to  their  fatigue — that  in  a  few 
hours  they  would  have  a  sight  of  their  long- 
wished-for  object — and  immediately  stepped 
into  the  water  without  waiting  for  any  reply. 
A  huzza  took  place.  As  we  generally  marched 
through  the  water  in  a  line,  before  the  third 
entered,  I  halted  and  called  to  Major  Bowman, 
ordering  him  to  fall  In  the  rear  with  twenty- 
five  men  and  put  to  death  any  man  who  refused 
to  march,  as  we  wished  to  have  no  such  person 
among  us.  The  whole  gave  a  cry  of  approba- 
tion, and  on)  we  went.  This  was  the  most  try- 
ing of  all  the  difficulties  we  had  experienced. 
I  generally  kept  fifteen  or  twenty  of  the  strong- 
est men  next  myself;  and  judged  by  my  own 
feelings  what  must  be  that  of  others.  Getting 
about  the  middle  of  the  plain  the  water  about 
middeep,  I  found  mysolf  sensibly  failing,  and 
as  there  were  no  trees  nor  bushes  for  the  men 


28 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


to  support  themselves  by,  I  feared  that  many 
of  the  most  weak  would  be  drowned.  I  ordered 
the  canoes  to  make  the  land,  discharge  their 
loading,  and  play  backward  and  forward  with 
all  diligence,  and  pick  up  the  men;  and  to  en- 
courage the  party,  sent  some  of  the  strongest 
men  forward  with  orders,  when  they  got  to  a 
certain  distance,  to  pass  the  word  backward 
that  the  water  was  getting  shallow,  and  when 
getting  near  the  woods  to  cry  out  'Land.'  This 


built  fires.  Many  would  reach  the  shore  and 
fall  with  their  bodies  half  in  the  water,  not  be- 
ing aole  to  support  themselves  without  it. 

This  was  a  delightful  dry  spot  of  ground  of 
about  ten  acres.  We  soon  found  that  the  fires 
answered  no  purpose;  but  that  two  strong  men 
taking  a  weaker  one  by  the  arms  was  the  only 
way  to  recover  him — and  being  a  delightful  day 
it  soon  did.  But  fortunately,  as  if  designed  by 
Providence,  a  canoe  of  Indian  squaws  and  chil- 


KNOX  COUNTY  BAR 


stratagem  had  its  desired  effect.  The  men,  en- 
couraged by  it,  exerted  themselves  almost  be- 
yond their  abilities — the  weak  holding  by  the 
stronger.  *  *  *  The  water  never  got  shallower, 
but  continued  deepening.  Getting  to  the  woods, 
where  the  men  expected  land,  the  water  was 
up  to  my  shoulders;  but  gaining  the  woods 
was  of  great  consequence.  All  the  low  men. 
and  the  weakly,  hung  to  the  trees  and  floated 
on  old  logs,  until  they  were  taken  off  by  the 
canoes.  The  strong  and  tall  got  ashore  and 


dren  was  coming  up  to  town,  and  took  through 
part  of  this  plain  as  a  nigh  way.  It  was  dis- 
covered by  our  canoes  as  they  were  out  after 
the  men.  They  gave  chase  and  took  the  Indian 
canoe,  on  board  of  which  was  near  half  a  quar- 
ter of  a  buffalo,  some  corn,  tallow,  kettles,  etc. 
This  was  a  grand  prize  and  was  invaluable. 
Broth  was  immediately  made  and  served  out 
to  the  most  weakly,  with  great  care;  most  of 
the  whole  got  a  little;  but  a  great  many  gave 
their  part  to  the  weakly,  jocosely  saying 


VIXCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


29 


something  cheering  to  their  comrades.  This 
little  refreshment  and  tine  weather,  by  the 
afternoon,  gave  new  life  to  the  whole.  Cross- 
ing a  narrow,  deep  lake,  in  the  canoes,  and 
marching  some  distance,  we  came  to  a  copse  of 
timber  called  the  Warrior's  Island  *  We  were 
now  in  full  view  of  the  fort  and  town,  not  a 
shrub  between  us,  at  about  two  miles'  dis- 
tance. Every  man  now  feasted  his  eyes,  and 
forgot  that  he  had  suffered  anything — saying 
that  all  that  had  passed  was  owing  to  good 
policy,  and  nothing  but  what  a  man  could  bear; 
and  that  a  soldier  had  no  right  to  think,  etc. — 
passing  from  one  extreme  to  another,  which 
is  common  in  such  cases.  It  was  now  we  had 
to  display  our  abilities.  The  plain  between  us 
and  the  town  was  not  a  perfect  level.  The 
sunken  grounds  were  covered  with  water  full 
of  ducks.  We  observed  several  men  out  on 
horseback,  shooting  them,  about  half  a  mile 
from  us;  and  sent  out  as  many  of  our  young 
Frenchmen  to  decoy  and  take  one  of  them 
prisoner,  in  such  a  manner  as  not  to  alarm  the 
others,  which  they  did.  The  information  which 
we  got  from  this  person,  was  similar  to  that 
which  we  had  got  from  those  we  took  on  the 
river,  except  that  of  the  British  having  com- 
pleted the  wall  of  the  fort,  and  that  there  was 
a  good  many  Indians  in  town. 

CHAPTER  VII. 
CLARK  CAPTURES  THE  OLD  POST. 

'"Our  situation  was  now  truly  critical — and 
in)  full  view  of  a  town  that  had,  at  this  time 
upward  of  six  hundred  men  in  it,  troops,  in- 
habitants and  Indians.  The  crew  of  the  galley, 
though  not  fifty  men,  would  have  been  now  a 
reinforcement  of  immense  magnitude  to  our 
little  army  (if  I  may  so  call  it),  but  we  would 
not  think  of  them.  We  were  now  in  the  sit- 
uation I  had  labored  to  get  ourselves  in.  The 
idea  of  being  made  prisoners  was  foreign  to 
almost  every  man,  as  they  expected  nothing 
but  torture  from  the  savages,  if  they  fell  into 
their  nands.  Our  fate  was  now  to  be  determ- 
ined, probably  in  a  few  hours.  W^  knew  that 
nothing  but  the  most  daring  conduct  would  In- 
sure success.  I  knew  that  a  number  of  the  in- 
habitants wished  us  well — that  many  were 
lukewarm  to  the  interest  of  either — and  I  also 
learned  that  the  grand  chief,  the  Tobacco's 
son,  had,  but  a  few  days  before,  openly  de- 


clared, in  council  with  the  British,  that  he  was 
a  brother  and  friend  to  the  Big  Knives.  These 
were  favorable  circumstances,  and  as  there 
was  but  litle  probability  of  our  remaining  un- 
til dark  undiscovered,  I  determined  to  begin 
the  career  immediately,  and  wrote  the  follow- 
ing placard  to  the  inhabitants: 

"  'TO  THE  INHABITANTS  OF  POST  VIN- 
CENNES — Gentlemen:  Being  now  within  two 
miles  of  your  village,  with  my  army,  determ- 
ined to  take  your  fort  this  night,  and  not  being 
willing  to  surprise  you,  I  take  this  method  to 
request  such  of  you  as  are  true  citizens,  and 
willing  to  enjoy  the  liberty  I  bring  you,  to  re- 
main still  in  your  houses  :and  those,  if  any 
there  be,  that  are  friends  to  the  king,  will  in- 
stantly repair  to  the  fort,  and  join  the  hair- 
buyer  general,  and  fight  like  men.  And  if  any 
such  as  do  not  go  to  the  fort,  shall  be  discov- 
ered afterward,  they  may  depend  on  severe 
punishment.  On  the  contrary,  those  who  are 
true  friends  to  liberty  may  depend  on  being 
well  treated;  and  I  once  more  request  them 
to  keep  out  of  the  streets.  For  every  one  I 
find  in  arms  on  my  arrival,  I  shall  treat  him 
as  an  enemy. 

(Signed)  'G.  R.  CLARK.' 

"I  had  various  ideas  on  the  supposed  results 
of  this  letter.  I  knew  that  it  could  do  us  no 
damage;  but  that  it  would  cause  the  lukewarm 
to  be  decided,  encourage  our  friends  and  as- 
tondsh  our  enemies.*  *  *  We  anxiously  viewed 
this  messenger  until  he  entered  the  town,  and 
in  a  few  minutes  could  discover  by  our  glasses 
some  stir  in  every  street  that  we  could  pene- 
trate into,  and  great  numbers  runndng  or  riding 
out  into  the  commons,  we  supposed  to  view  us, 
which  was  the  case.  But  what  surprised  us 
was  that  nothing  had  yet  happened  that  had 
the  appearance  of  the  garrison  being  alarmed — 
no  drum  nor  gun.  We  began  to  suppose  that 
the  information  we  got  from  our  prisoners  was 
false,  and  that  the  enemy  already  knew  of 
us  and  were  prepared.*  *  *  A  little  before 
sunset  we  moved  and  displayed  ourselves  in 
full  view  of  the  town — crowds  gazing  at  us. 
We  were  plunging  ourselves  into  certain  de- 
struction, or  success.  There  was  no  midway 
thought  of.  We  had  but  litle  to  say  to  our 
men,  except  inculcating  an  idea  of  obedience, 
etc.  We  knew  they  did  not  want  encouraging, 
and  that  anything  might  be  attempted  with 


*This  island  was  undoubtedly  what  is  now  familiarly  known  as  "Bunker  Hill." 


30 


VINCENXES   IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


them  that  was  possible  with  such  a  number — 
perfectly  cool,  under  subordination,  pleased 
with  the  prospect  before  them,  and  much  at- 
tached to  their  officers.  They  all  declared  that 
they  were  convinced  that  an  implicit  obedience 
to  orders  was  the  only  thing  that  would  insure 
success,  and  hoped  that  no  mercy  would  be 
shown  the  person  that  should  violate  them. 
Such  language  as  this,  from  soldxers  in,  our  sta- 
tion must  have  been  exceedingly  agreeable.  We 

Fftoto  by  Shores 


best  of  advantage,  and  as  the  low  plain  we 
marched  through  was  not  a  perfect  level,  but 
had  frequent  raisings  in  it  seven  or  eight  feet 
higher  than  the  common  level,  (which  was  cov- 
ered with  water),  and  as  these  raisings  gen- 
erally run  in  an  oblique  direction  to  the  town, 
we  took  the  advantage  of  one  of  them,  march- 
ing through  the  water  under  it,  which  com- 
pletely prevented  our  being  numbered.  But 
our  colors  showed  considerably  above  the 


POST  H.,  T.  P.  A.,  BASE  BALL  TEAM 


moved  on  slowly  in  full  view  of  the  town,  but, 
as  it  was  a  point  of  some  consequence  to  us  to 
make  ourselves  appear  as  formidable,  we,  in 
leaving  the  covert  that  we  were  in,  marched 
and  countermarched  in  such  a  manner  that  we 
appeared  numerous.  In  raising  volunteers  in 
the  Illinois,  every  person  that  set '  about  the 
business  had  a  set  of  colors  given  him.  which 
they  brought  with  them  to  the  amount  of  ten 
or  twelve  pairs.  These  were  displayed  to  the 


heights,  as  they  were  fixed  on  long  poles  pro- 
cured for  the  purpose,  and  at  a  distance,  made 
no  despicable  appearance,  and  as  our  young 
Frenchman  had,  while  we  lay  on  the  Warrior's 
Island,  decoyed  and  taken  several  fowlers,  with 
their  horses,  officers  were  mounted  on  these 
horses,  and  rode  about  more  completely  to  de- 
ceive the  enemy.  In  this  manner  we  moved, 
and  directed  our  march  in  such  a  way  as  to 
suffer  it  to  be  dark  before  we  had  advanced 


VINUEXXES   IX   PICTURE   AXD   STORY 


31 


more  than  half  way  to  the  town.  We  then 
suddenly  altered  our  direction,  and  crossed 
ponds  where  they  could  not  have  suspected  us, 
and  about  eight  o'clock  gained  the  heights  back 
of  the  town.  As  there  was  yet  no  hostile  ap- 
pearance, we  were  impatient  to  have  the  cause 
unriddled.  Lieutenant  Bayley  was  ordered, 
with  fourteen)  men  to  march  and  fire  on  the 
fort.  The  main  body  moved  in  a  different  di- 
rection, and  took  possession  of  the  strongest 
part  of  the  town. 

"The  firing  now  commenced  on  the  fort,  but 
they  did  not  believe  it  was  an  enemy,  until  one 
one  of  their  mem  was  shot  down  through  a  port, 
as  drunken  Indians  frequently  saluted  the  fort 
after  night.  The  drums  were  sounded,  and  bus- 
iness fairly  commenced  on  both  sides.  Reip- 
forcement  were  sent  to  the  attack  of  the  garri- 
son", while  other  arrangements  were  makinig  in 
town.  *  *  *  We  now  found  that  the  garrison 
had  known  nothing  of  us;  that,  having  finished 
the  fort  that  evening,  they  had  amused  them- 
selves at  different  games,  and  had  just  retired 
before  my  letter  arrived,  as  it  was  near  roll 
call.  The  placard  beinig  made  public,  many  of 
the  inhabitants  were  afraid  to  show  themselves 
out  of  the  houses  for  fear  of  giving  offence,  and 
not  one  dare  give  information.* 

"Our  friends  flew  to  the  commons  or  other 
convenient  places  to  view  the  pleasing  sight. 
This  was  observed  from  the  garrison,  and  the 
reason  asked,  but  a  satisfactory  excuse  was 
given,  and  as  a  part  of  the  town  lay  between 
our  line  of  march  and  the  garrison,  we  could 
not  be  seen  by  the  sentinels  on  the  walls.  Cap- 
tain W.  Shannon  and  another  being  some  time 
before  taken  prisoners  by  one  of  their  (scout- 
inig  parties),  and  that  evening  brought  in,  the 
party  had  discovered  at  the  sugar  camp  some 
signs  of  us.  They  supposed  it  to  be  a  party 
of  observation  that  intended  to  land  on  the 
hight  some  distance  below  the  town.  Captain 
^amotte  was  sent  to  intercept  them.  It  was 
at  him  the  people  said  they  were  looking,  when 
they  were  asked  the  reason  for  their  unusual 
stir.  Several  suspected  persons  had  been  taken 
to  the  garrison:  among  them  was  Mr.  Moses 
Henry.  Mrs.  Henry  went  under  the  pretense 
of  carrying  him  provisions,  and  whispered  him 
the  news  and  what  she  had  seen.  Mr.  Henry 
conveyed  it  to  the  rest  of  his  fellow  prisoners, 


which  gave  them  much  pleasure,  particularly 
Captain  Helm,  who  amused  himself  very  much 
during  the  seige,  and  I  believe,  did  much  dam- 
age. 

"Ammunition  was  scarce  with  us,  as  the 
most  of  our  stores  had  been  put  on  board  of 
the  Galley.  Though  her  crew  was  but  few, 
such  a  reinforcement  to  us,  at  this  time,  would 
have  been  invaluable  in  many  instances.  But 
fortunately  at  the  time  of  its  being  reported 
that  all  of  the  goods  in  the  town  were  to  be 
taken  for  the  king's  use  (for  which  the  own- 
ers were  to  receive  bills),  Colonel  LeGras,  Ma- 
jor Bosseran,  and  others,  had  buried  the  great- 
est part  of  their  powder  and  ball.  This  was 
immediately  produced,  and  we  found  ourselves 
well  supplied  by  those  gentlemen. 

"The  Tobacco's  son,  being  in  town  with  a 
number  of  warriors,  immediately  mustered 
them  and  let  us  know  he  wanted  to  join  us, 
saying  that  by  the  morniing  he  would  have  a 
hundred  men.  He  received  for  answer  that  we 
would  counsel  on  the  subject  in  the  morning; 
and  as  we  knew  that  there  were  a  number  of 
Indians  in  and  near  the  town,  that  were  our 
enemies,  some  confusion  might  happen  if  our 
men  should  mix  in  the  dark;  but  hoped  that 
we  might  be  favored  with  his  counsel  and 
company  during  the  night — which  was  agree- 
able to  him. 

"The  garrison  was  soon)  completely  surround- 
ed, and  the  firing  continued  without  intermis- 
sion (except  about  fifteen  minutes  a  little  be- 
fore day),  until  about  nine  o'clock  the  follow- 
ing morning.  It  was  kept  up  by  the  whole  of 
the  troops — joined  by  a  few  young  mem  of  the 
town  who  got  permission,  except  fifty  men  kept 
as  a  reserve.  *  *  *  I  had  made  myself  ful- 
ly acquainted  with  the  situation  of  the  fort 
and  town,  and  the  parts  relative  to  each.  The 
cannon  of  the  garrison  was  on  the  upper  floors 
of  strong  blockhouses,  at  each  angle  of  the 
fort,  eleven;  feet  abore  the  surface,  and  the 
ports  so  badly  cut  that  many  of  our  troops  lay 
under  the  fire  of  them  within  twenty  or  thirty 
yards  of  the  walls.  They  did  no  damage,  ex- 
cept to  the  buildings  of  the  town,  some  of 
which  they  much  shattered,  and  their  mus- 
ketry, employed  against  woodsmen,  covered  by 
houses,  palings,  ditches,  the  banks  of  the  river, 
etc.,  was  but  of  little  avail,  and  did  no  injury 


*"The  town  immediately  surrendered  with  joy,  and  assisted  nt  the  siege."    Letter,  dated  Kaskaskia,  III. 
April  29,   1779.  from  Colonel  Clark  to  the  Governor  of  Vii-j*inia.J 


32 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


to  us  except  wounding  a  man1  or  two.  As  we 
could  not  afford  to  lose  men,  great  care  was 
taken  to  preserve  them  sufficiently  covered, 
and  to  keep  up  a  hot  fire  in  order  to  intimidate 


they  were  opened,  that  men  could  not  stand  to 
the  guns — seven  or  eight  of  them  in  a  short 
time  got  cut  down.  Our  troops  would  frequent- 
ly abuse  the  enemy  in  order  to  aggravate  them 


the  enemy  as  well  as  to  destroy  them.  The 
embrasures  of  their  cannon  were  frequently 
shut,  for  our  riflemen,  finding  the  true  direc- 
tion of  them,  would  pour  in  such  volleys  when 


to  open  their  ports  and  fire  their  cannon,  that 
they  might  have  the  pleasure  of  cutting  them 
down  with  their  rifles,  fifty  of  which,  perhaps, 
would  be  leveled  the  moment  the  port  flew 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


33 


open;  and  I  believe  that  if  they  had  stood  at 
their  artillery,  tln>  greater  part  of  them  would 
have  been  destroyed  in  the  course  of  the  night, 
as  the  greater  part  of  our  men  lay  within  thirty 
yards  of  the  walls;  and  in  a  few  hours  were 
covered  equally  to  those  within  the  walls,  and 
much  more  experienced  in  that  mode  of  fight- 
ing. *  *  *  Sometimes  an  irregular  fire,  as 
hot  as  possible,  from  different  directions  was 
kept  up  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  only  a 
continual  scattering  fire  at  the  ports  as  usual, 
and  a  great  noise  and  laughter  immediately 
commenced  in  different  parts  of  the 
town  by  the  reserved  parties,  as  if  they 
had  only  fired  on  the  fort  a  few  minutes  for 
amusement,  and  as  if  those  continually  firing 
at  the  fort  were  only  regularly  relieved.  Con- 
duct similar  to  this  kept  the  garrison'  constant- 
ly alarmed.  They  did  not  know  what  moment 
they  might  be  stormed  or  (blown  up),  as  they 
could  plainly  discover  that  we  had  thrown  >ip 
some  intrenchments  across  the  streets,  and  ap- 
peared to  be  frequently  very  busy  under  the 
bank  of  the  river  which  was  within  thirty  feet 
of  the  walls.  The  situation  of  the  magazine 
we  knew  well.  Captain  Bowman  began  some 
works  in  order  to  blow  it  up  in  case  our  ar- 
tillery shouM  arrive,  but  as  we  knew  that  we 
were  daily  liable  to  be  overpowered  by  the 
numerous  bands  of  Indians  on  ths  river,  in 
case  they  had  again  joined  the  enemy  (the  cer- 
tainty of  which  we  were  acquainted  with),  we 
resolved  to  lose  no  time,  but  to  get  the  fort 
in  our  possession  as  soon  as  possible.  If  the 
vessel  did  not  arrive  before  the  ensuinig  night, 
we  resolved  to  undermine  the  fort,  and  fixed  on 
the  spot  and  plan  of  executing  this  work, 
which  we  intended  to  commence  the  next  day. 
•The  Indians  of  different  tribes  that  were 
iminical.  had  left  the  town  and  neighborhood. 
Captain  Lamotte  continued  to  hover  about  it, 
in  order,  if  possible,  to  make  his  way  good  in- 
to the  fort.  Parties  attempted  in  vain  to  sur- 
prise him.  A  few  of  his  party  were  taken,  one 
of  which  was  Maisonville,  a  famous  Indian 
partisan.  Two  iads  that  captured  him,  tied 
him  to  a  post  in  the  street  and  fought  from 
behind  him  as  a  breastwork — supposing  that 
the  enemy  would  not  fire  at  them  for  fear  of 
killing  him.  as  he  would  alarm  them  by  his 
voice.  The  lads  were  ordered,  by  an  officer 
who  discovered  them  at  their  amusement,  to 
untie  their  prisoner  and  take  him  off  to  the 
guard,  which  they  did;  but  were  so  inhuman 


as  to  take  part  of  his  scalp  on  the  way.  There 
happened  to  be  no  other  damage.  As  almost 
the  whole  of  the  persons  who  were  most  ac- 
tive in  the  department  of  Detroit,  were  either 
in  the  fort  or  with  Captain  Lamotte,  I  got  ex- 
tremely uneasy  for  fear  that  he  would  not  fall 
into  our  power — knowing  that  he  would  go  off 
if  he  could  not  get  into  the  fort  in  the  course 
of  the  night.  Finding  that,  without  some  un- 
forseen  accident,  the  fort  must  inevitably  be 
ours,  and  that  a  reinforcement  of  twenty  men, 
although  considerable  to  them,  would  not  be 
of  great  moment  to  us  in  the  present  situation 
of  affairs,  and  knowing  that  we  had  weaken- 
ed them  by  killing  or  wounding  many  of  their 
gunners,  after  some  deliberation  we  concluded 
to  risk  the  reinforcement  in)  preference  of  his 
going  again  among  the  Indians;  the  garrison 
had  at  least  a  month's  provision,  and  if  they 
could  hold  out,  in  the  course  of  that  time  he 
might  do  us  much  damage.  A  little  before  day 
the  troops  were  withdrawn  from  their  positions 
about  the  fort,  except  a  few  parties  of  observa- 
tion, and  the  nring  totally  ceased. 

"Orders  were  given,  in)  case  of  Lamotte's  ap- 
proach, not  to  alarm  or  fire  on  him,  without  a 
certainty  of  killing  or  taking  the  whole.  In 
less  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  he  passed  with- 
in ten  feet  of  an  officer  and  a  party  that  lay 
concealed.  Ladders  were  flung  over  to  them, 
and  as  they  mounted  them  our  party  shouted. 
Many  of  them  fell  from  the  top  of  the  walls — 
some  within),  and  others  back;  but  as  they 
were  not  fired  on,  they  all  got  over  much  to 
the  joy  of  their  friends.  But,  on  considering 
the  matter,  they  must  have  been  convinced 
that  it  was  a  scheme  of  ours  to  let  them  in, 
and  that  we  were  so  strong  as  to  care  but  lit- 
tle about  them  or  the  manner  of  their  getting 
into  the  garrison.  *  *  *  The  firing  imme- 
diately commented  on  both  sides  with  double 
vigor,  and  I  believe  that  more  noise  could  not 
have  been  made  by  the  same  number  of  men — 
their  shouts  could  not  be  heard  for  the  fire- 
arms, but  a  continual  blaze  was  kept  around 
the  garrison,  without  much  being  done  until 
about  daybreak,  when  our  troops  were  drawn 
off  to  posts  prepared  for  them,  about  sixty  or 
seventy  yards  from  the  fort.  A  loophole  then 
could  scarcely  be  darkened,  but  a  rifle  ball 
would  pass  through  it.  To  have  stood  to  their 
cannon  would  have  destroyed  their  men,  with- 
out a  probability  of  doing  much  service.  Our 
situation  was  nearly  similar.  It  would  have 


34 


VINCENXES   IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


been  imprudent  in  either  party  to  have  wasted 
their  men,  without  some  decisive  stroke  re- 
quired it. 

"Thus  the  attack  continued  until  about  nine 
o'clock  of  the  twenty-fourth.  Learning  that 
the  two  prisoners  they  had  brought  in  the  day 
before  had  a  considerable  number  of  letters 
with  them.  I  supposed  it  an  express  that  we 
expected  about  this  time,  which  I  knew  to  be 
of  the  greatest  moment  to  us,  as  we  had  not 
received  one  since  our  arrival  in  the  country 

Photo  by  Shores 


impending  storm  that  now  threatens  you,  I  or- 
der you  immediately  to  surrender  yourself, 
with  all  your  garrison,  stores,  etc.,  etc.  For 
if  I  am  obliged  to  storm,  you  may  depend  on 
such  treatment  as  is  justly  due  a  murderer. 
Beware  of  destroying  stores  of  any  kind,  or 
any  papers  or  letteis  that  are  in  your  possess- 
ion, or  hurting  one  house'  in  town — for,  by 
heavens!  if  you  do,  there  shall  be  no  mercy 
shown  you. 
(Signed)  G.  R.  CLARK." 


BICYCLE  RACES— THE  START 


and  not  being  fully  acquainted  with  the  char- 
acter of  our  eniemy,  we  were  doubtful  that 
those  papers  might  be  destroyed — to  prevent 
which,  I  sent  a  flag  (with  a  letter)  demanding 
the  garrison.." 

Following  is  a  copy  of  the  letter  which  was 
addressed  by  Colonel  Clark  to  Lieutenant 
Governor  Hamilton  on  this  occasion: 

"Sir:      In    order   to    save    vourself    from    the 


The  British  commandant  immediately  re- 
turned the  following  answer: 

"  'Lieutenant-Governor  Hamilton  begs  leave 
to  acquaint  Colonel  Clark,  that  he  and  his  gar- 
rison are  not  disposed  to  be  awed  into  any 
action  unworthy  British  subjects.' 

"The  firing  then  commenced  warmly  for  a 
considerable  time,  and  we  were  obliged  to  be 
careful  in  preventing  our  men  from  exposing 


VINCEXNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


35 


themselves  too  much,  as  they  were  now  much 
animated — having  been  refreshed  during  the 
flag.  They  frequently  mentioned  their  wishes 
to  storm  the  place  and  put  an  end  to  the  busi- 
ness at  once.  *  *  *  The  firing  was  heavy 
through  any  crack  that  could  be  discovered  in 
any  part  of  the  fort.  Several  of  the  garrison 
got  wounded,  and  no  possibility  of  standing 
near  the  embrasures. 

'Toward  the  evening  a  flag  appeared  with 
the  following  proposals: 

"  'Lieutenant-Governor  Hamilton  proposes  to 
Colonel  Clark  a  truce  for  three  days,  during 
which  time  he  promises  there  shall  be  no  de- 
fensive works  carried  on  in  the  garrison,  on 
condition  that  Colonel  Clark  shall  observe,  on 
his  part,  a  like  cessation  of  any  defensive 
work:  that  is,  he  wishes  to  confer  with  Colonel 
Clark  as  soon  as  can  be,  and  promises  that 
whatever  may  pass  between  them  two,  and 
another  person,  mutually  agreed  upon  to  be 
present,  shall  remain  secret  till  matters  be  fin- 
ished, as  he  wishes  that  whatever  the  result 
of  the  conference  may  be,  it  may  tend  to  honor 
and  credit  of  each  party.  If  Colonel  Clark 
makes  a  difficulty  of  coming  into  the  fort,  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor Hamilton  will  speak  to  him 
by  Ihe  gate. 

(Signed)  HENRY  HAMILTON. 

24th  February.  1179.' 

"I  was  at  a  great  loss  to  conceive  what  rea- 
son Lieutenant-Governor  Hamilton  could  have 
for  wishing  a  truce  of  three  days,  on  such 
terms  as  he  proposed.  Numbers  said  it  was  a 
scheme  to  get  me  into  their  posession.  I  had 
a  different  opinion,  and  no  idea  of  his  possess- 
ing such  sentiments;  as  an  act  of  that  kind 
would  infallibly  ruin  him.  Although  we  had 
the  greatest  reason  to  expect  a  reinforcement 
in  less  than  three  days,  that  would  at.  once  put 
an  end  to  the  siege,  I  yet  did  not  think  it  pru- 
dent to  agree  to  the  proposals,  and  sent  the 
following  answer: 

"  'Colonel  Clark's  compliments  to  Lieutenant- 
Governor  Hamilton,  and  begs  leave  to  inform 
him  that  he  will  not  agree  to  any  terms  other 
than  his  surrendering  himself  and  garrison 
prisoners  at  discretion.  If  Mr.  Hamilton  is 
desirous  of  a  conference  with  Colonel  Clark,  he 
will  meet  him  at  the  church,  with  Captain 
Helm. 

(Signed)  G.  R.  CLARK.' 

February  24th,  1779.' 

"We  met  at  the  church,  about  eighty  yards 


from  the  fort,  Lieutenant-Governor  Hamilton, 
Major  Hay,  Superintendent  of  Indian  affairs, 
Captain  Helm,  their  prisoner,  Major  Bowman 
and  myself.  The  conference  began.  Hamil- 
ton produced  terms  of  capitulation1,  signed,  that 
contained  various  articles,  one  of  which  was 
that  the  garrison  should  be  surrendered  on 
their  being  permitted  to  «go  to  Pensacola  on 
parole.  After  deliberating  on  every  article,  I 
rejected  the  whole.  He  then  wished  that  1 
would  make  some  proposition.  I  told  him 
that  I  had  no  other  to  make  than  what  I  had 
already  made — that  of  his  surrendering  as  pris- 
oners at  discretion.  I  said  that  his  troops  had 
behaved  with  spirit — that  they  could  not  sup- 
pose that  they  would  be  worse  treated  in  con- 
sequence of  it — that  if  he  chose  to  comply  with 
the  demand,  though  hard,  perhaps,  the  sooner 
the  better — that  it  was  in  vain  to  make  any 
proposition  to  me — that  he,  by  this  time,  must 
be  sensible  that  the  garrison  would  fall;  that 
both  of  us  must  (view)  all  blood  spilt  for  the 
future,  by  the  garrison,  as  murder;  that  my 
troops  were  already  impatient  anid  called  aloud 
for  permission  to  tear  down  and  storm  the 
fort,  if  such  a  step  was  taken,  many,  of  course, 
would  be  cut  down,  and  the  result  of  an  en- 
raged body  of  woodsmen  breaking  in,  must  be 
obvious  to  him;  it  would  be  out  of  the  power 
of  an  American  officer  to  save  a  single  man. 
Various  altercations  took  place  for  a  consider- 
able time.  Captain  Helm  attempted  to  mod- 
erate our  fixed  determination.  I  told  him  he 
was  a  British  prisoner,  and  it  was  doubtful 
whether  or  not  he  could,  with  propriety,  speak 
on  the  subject.  Hamilton  then  said  that 
Helm  was  from  that  moment  liberated,  and 
might  use  his  pleasure.  I  informed  the  cap- 
tain that  I  would  not  receive  him  on  such 
terms;  that  he  must  return  to  the  garrison,  and 
await  his  fate.  I  then  told  Lieutenant-Gover- 
nor Hamilton  that  hostilities  should  not  com- 
mence until  five  minutes  after  the  drums  gave 
the  alarm.  We  took  our  leave,  and  parted  but 
a  few  steps,  when  Hamilton  stopped  and  po- 
litely asked  me  if  I  would  be  so  kind  as  to 
give  him  any  reasons  for  refusing  the  garrison 
on  any  other  terms  than  those  I  had  offered. 
I  told  him  I  had  no  objections  in  giving  my 
real  reasons,  which  were  simply  these:  that  I 
knew  the  greater  part  of  the  principal  Indian 
partizans  of  Detroit  were  with  him;  that  I 
wanted  an  excuse  to  put  them  to  death,  or 
otherwise  treat  them  as  I  thought  proper;  that 


36 


VINCEXXES  IN1  PICTURE  AND   STORY 


o 

z 

•4 

H  j. 

S  I 
>—•  "i 

o  ^ 

W  >S 


Ho. 
S 
co  .<« 


(X, 

S 

8 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


37 


the  cries  of  the  widows  and  the  fatherless,  on 
the  frontiers,  which  they  had  occasioned,  now 
required  their  blood  from  my  hands,  and  that 
I  did  not  choose  to  be  so  timorous  as  to  diso- 
bey the  absolute  commands  of  their  author- 
ity, which  I  looked  upon  to  be  next  to  divine; 
that  I  would  rather  lose  fifty  men,  than  not 
to  empower  myself  to  execute  this  piece  of 
business  with  propriety;  that  if  he  chose  to 
risk  the  massacre  of  his  garrison  for  their 
sakes,  it  was  his  own  pleasure,  and  that  I 
might,  perhaps,  take  it  iato  my  head  to  send 
for  some  of  those  widows  to  see  it  executed. 
Major  Hay,  paying  great  attention,  I  had  ob- 
served a  kind  of  distrust  in  his  countenance, 
which  in  a  great  measure  influenced  my  con- 
versation during  this  time.  On  my  concluding, 
'Pray  sir,'  said  he,  'who  is  it  that  you  call  In- 
dian partizans?'  'Sir  I  replied,  'I  take  Major 
Hay  to  be  one  of  the  principal.'  I  never  saw 
a  man  in  the  moment  of  execution  so  struck  as 
he  appeared  to  be,  pale  and  trembling,  scarcily 
able  to  stand.  Hamilton  blushed,  and,  I  ob- 
served, was  much  affected  at  bis  behavior. 
Major  Bowman's  countenance  sufficiently  ex- 
pressed his  disdain  for  the  one,  and  his  sorrow 
for  the  other.  *  *  *  Some  moments  elapsed 
without  a  word  passing  on  either  side.  From 
that  moment  my  resolutions  changed  respect- 
ing Hamilton's  situation.  I  told  him  that  we 
would  return  to  our  respective  posts;  that  I 
would  consider  the  matter  and  let  him  know 
the  result:  no  offensive  measures  should  be 
taken  in  the  meantime.  Agreed  to,  and  we 
parted.  What  had  passed,  being  made  known 
to  our  officers,  it  was  agreed  that  we  should 
moderate  our  resolutions." 

In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  of  the  24th, 
the  following  articles  were  signed,  and  the 
garrison  capitulated: 

"(1)  Lieutenant-Governor  Hamilton  engages 
to  deliver  up  to  Colonel  Clark,  Fort  Sackville, 
as  it  is  at  present  with  all  the  stores,  etc. 

"(II)  The  garrison  are  to  deliver  themselves 
as  prisoners  of  war;  and  march  out  with  their 
arms  and  accouterments,  etc. 

"(Ill)  The  garrison  to  be  delivered  up  at  ten 
o'clock  to-morrow. 

"(IV)  Three  days'  time  to  be  allowed  the 
garrison  to  settle  their  accounlts  with  the  in- 
habitants and  traders  of  this  place. 

"(V)  The  officers  of  the  garrison  to  be  al- 
lowed their  necessary  baggage,  etc. 


"Signed  at  Post  St.  Vincent  (Vincennes),  24th 
Feb'y.,  1779. 

"Agreed  for  the  following  reasons:  The  re- 
moteness from  succor;  the  state  and  quality  of 
provisions,  etc.,  unanimity  of  officers  and  men 
in  its  expediency,  the  honorable  terms  allowed, 
and  lastly,  the  confidence  in  a  generous  enemy. 

(Signed)  HENRY  HAMILTON, 

Lieut.-Gov.  and  Superintendent." 

"The  business  being  now  nearly  at  an  end, 
troops  were  posted  in  several  strong  houses 
around  the  garrison,  and  patroled  during  the 
night  to  prevent  any  deception  that  might  be 
attempted.  The  remainder  on  duty  lay  on  their 
arms,  and,  for  the  first  time  for  many  days 
past,  got  some  rest.  During  the  siege  I  got 
omly  one  man  wounded,  not  being  able  to  lose 
many  I  made  them  secure  themselves  well. 
Seven  were  badly  wounded  in  the  fort,  through 
ports.  *  *  *  Almost  every  man  had  conceived 
a  favorable  opinion  of  Lieutenant-Governor 
Hamilton — I  believe  what  affected  myself, 
made  some  impression  on  the  whole — and  I 
was  i>appy  to  find  that  he  never  deviated,  while 
he  stayed  with  us,  from  that  dignity  of  con- 
duct that  became  an  officer  in  his  situation.  The 
morning  of  the  25th  approaching,  arrangements 
were  made  for  receiving  the  garrison,  (which 
consisted  of  seventy-nine  men,)  and  about  ten 
o'clock  it  was  delivered  in  form;  and  every- 
thing was  immediately  arranged  to  the  best 
advantage.  *  *  *  On  the  27th,  our  galley  ar- 
rived, all  safe — the  crew  much  mortified,  al- 
though they  deserved  great  credit  for  their  dili- 
gence. They  had,  on  their  passage,  taken  up 
William  Myres,  express  from  government.  The 
dispatches  gave  much  encouragement:  Our  own 
battalion  was  to  be  completed,  and  an  addi- 
tional one  to  be  expected  in  the  course  of  the 
spring." 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

CLARK  CAPTURES  HAMILTON'S  BOATS- 
PLANS      AGAINST      DETROIT— EARLY 
EVENTS    FOLLOWING. 
On  the  26th  of  February,  the  next  day  after 
the  surrender  of  Governor    Hamilton,    Clark, 
having  information  of  the  approach  of  a  de- 
tachment  with   clothing   and   provisions   from 
Detroit  which  was  coming  by  boats  down  the 
Wabash.  dispatched  sixty  men  under  command 
of  Captain  Helm,  Major  Boseron  and  Major  Le- 
Gras    to    intercept    and    capture    them.    This 
force  proceeding   in  three  armed  boats  about 


38 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


120  miles  up  the  Wabash,  surprised  and  cap- 
tured the  enemy  wifh  their  supplies  in  seven 
boats.  These  boats,  containing  supplies  to  the 
value  of  about  $50,000,  were  manned  by  forty 
men  who  were  made  prisoners. 

Col.  Clark  states  that  the  goods,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  about  $4,000  worth,  were  divided 

Photo  by  Shores. 


VINCENNES  METROPOLITAN  POLICE. 

among  the  soldiers,  that  amount  being  retained 
to  clothe  an  expected  reinforcement. 

Clark's  eyes  now  turned  longingly  'toward 
Detroit,  which  he  knew  to  be  in  a  poor  state 
of  defense,  and  he  was  anxious  to  organize  an 
expedition  for  its  capture,  but,  embarrassed  by 


his  prisoners,  doubtful  as  to  the  attitude  of 
many  tribes  of  Indians,  he  was  in  a  auandary. 
However,  the  Indians  soon  began  to  show  a 
pacific  disposition  and  a  number  of  the  tribes 
came  to  him.  with  overtures  of  peace,  and 
treaties  were  concluded. 

On  the  7th  of  March  a  detachment  of  twenty- 
five  men,  under  com- 
mand of  Captains 
Williams  and  Rog- 
ers, set  out  with  the 
British  officers  and. 
eighteen  privates  to 
conduct  them  to 
Kentucky,  whence 
they  were  forwarded 
to  Virginia  under 
command  of  Captain 
Rogers,  who  re- 
ceived orders  after 
he  reached  the  Falls. 
Relieved  in  some 
measure  by  the  de- 
parture of  a  part  of 
prisoners,  Clark  took 
every  possible  means 
to  organize  his  de- 
sired expedition 
against  D  e  t  r  o  i  t. 
Promised  reinforce- 
ments were  delayed 
and  Clark  was  con- 
fronted with  the 
necessity  of  postpon- 
ing his  enterprise. 
He  made  the  best 
possible  use  of  the 
time,  however,  pre- 
paring the  minds  of 
the  French  people  of 
Detroit  for  his  ap- 
pearance. The  com- 
pany of  French  vol- 
unteers from  De- 
troit, who  had  been 
made  prisoners  with 
Hamilton,  and  who 
expected  to  be  sent 
into  the  states  and  held  as  prison- 
ers of  war,  wrere  lectured  and  paroled, 
supplied  with  boats,  arms  and  provisions  and 
told  to  return  'home.  They  did  -so  and  so  pleased 
were  they  with  their  treatment  that  they  be- 
came loud  in'  the  praise  of  the  Americans  and 


Mayor  Greene  in  Rear 


VIXCEXXE3   IX   TICTURE  AXU   STORY 


39 


created  at  Detroit  a  strong  pro-American  senti- 
ment. 

By  a  masterful  strategy  Clark  had  contrived 
to  create  an  exceedingly  strong  sentiment  at  the 
Old  rost  in  favor  of  the  Detroit  expedition, 
while  assuming  an  attitude  of  indifference  or 
disapproval,  with  a  view  to  preventing  prema- 
ture knowledge  of  his  intentions  reaching  that 
post.  In  furtherance  of  this  design,  on  the  20th 
Df  March  he  "set  sail"  on  board  his  galley  and 
five  armed  boats,  with  seventy  men,  for  Kas- 
kaskia,  where  he  arrived  safely  a  few  days 
later.  Lieutenant  Brashear  was  left  in  com- 
mand of  the  garrison  of  forty  picked  men,  Cap- 
tain Helm  commandant  of  the  town,  superin- 
tendent of  Indian  affairs,  etc. 

From  Kaskaskia  Clark  directed  war  to  be 
made  from  Vincennes  against  the  Delawares, 
who  were  settled  at  the  forks  of  the  White 
River  and  who  had  become  troublesome  and 
had  committed  a  number  of  murders.  Deter- 
mined to  give  them  a  lesson  that  would  im- 
press all  the  tribes,  he  ordered  that  no  quarter 
should  be  shown  the  warriors,  but  that  women 
and  children  should  be  spared.  So  merciless 
and  vigorous  was  the  campaign  that  the  Dela- 
wares were  quickly  brought  to  terms,  but,  hav- 
ing once  broken  their  treaty,  Clark  refused  to 
treat  with  them  unless  they  could  induce  some 
of  the  neighboring  Indians  to  become  sureties 
in1  their  behalf.  This  the  Tobacco's  son  agreed 
to  do,  and  peace  was  restored. 

A  rendezvous  had  been  appointed  for  Vin- 
cennes in  June,  against  which  time  it  was 
hoped  a  sufficient  force  would  have  been  re- 
cruited in  Kentucky  and  Virginia  for  the  ac- 
complisihmenit  of  his  designs  against  Detroit. 
But  in  this  Colonel  Clark  was  doomed  to  bitter 
disappointment.  Less  than  half  the  expected 
reinforcements  arrived.  The  depression  of  the 
continental  currency  gave  him  great  trouble  in 
securing  supplies.  Clark  returned  with  his 
forces  to  Vincennes,  but  was  compelled  on  ac- 
count of  the  paucity  of  his  resources  to  aban- 
don the  proposed  expedition,  and  retired  soon 
afterward  to  Louisville  ("the  Falls")  as  the 
most  convenient  spot  from  which  to  direct  the 
operations  of  the  forces  anid  posts  in  the  newly 
acquired  territory. 

The  conquest  of  the  territory  northwest  of  the 
Ohio  by  General  Clark  was  soon  followed  by 
a  considerable  influx  of  emigrants  from  the 
states,  and  it  is  stated  that  in  the  spring  of 
1780  no  less  than  three  hundred  large  "family 


boats"  arrived  at  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio,  and  it 
may  be  fairly  surmised  that  Post  Vinceunes 
came  ini  for  its  full  share  of  the  new  popula- 
tion. ±n  the  spring  of  1779  Colonel  John  Todd, 
\vlio  had  been  appointed  county  lieutenant  of 
Illinois  county,  which  embraced  all  the  terri- 
tory covered  by  Clark's  conquests,  visited  Vin- 
cennes and  Kaskaskia  and  took  steps  to  organi- 
ize  local  governments  suitable  to  the  require- 
ments of  the  people.  One  of  his  first  acts  was 
to  issue  a  proclamation  designed  to  forestall  the 
location  of  all  the  best  lands  by  greedy  specu- 
lators and  adventurers.  The  proclamation  for- 
bade the  location  of  claims  in  the  rich  lands 
in  the  river  valleys  or  within  a  league  of  these 
lands,  "unless  in  manner  and  form  of  settle- 
ments as  heretofore  made  by  the  French  in- 
habitants, until  further  orders  herein  given." 
The  proclamation  also  required  every  claimant 
of  lands  to  file  with  an  officer,  to  be  appointed 
in  each  district,  a  description  of  his  claim,  the 
name  of  the  original  grantee,  with  date  of 
grant,  with  vouchers,  "deducing  the  title 
through  the  various  occupants  to  the  present 
owner."  Depositions  were  required  to  estab- 
lish ownership  when  no  vouchers  could  be  pro- 
duced. 

A  court  of  civil  and  criminal  jurisdiction, 
composed  of  several  magistrates,  with  Colonel 
J.  M.  P.  Legras  as  president,  was  established 
at  Vincennes,  in  the  month  of  June,  1779.  The 
members  of  this  court  assuming  that  they  were 
vested  with  authority  to  grant  lands,  soon  be- 
gan to  make  grants  in  various  amounts  "from 
the  size  of  a  house  lot  to  400  acres,"  after  the 
manner  of  the  former  French  grants.  Finally 
we  are  told  they  became  of  opinion  that  they 
might  dispose  of  the  entire  tract  given  in  1742 
to  the  French  inhabitants  of  Vincennes  by  the 
Piankeshaw  Indians,  amounting  to  a  very  large 
domain,  and  then  conceived  the  idea  that  if 
they  tould  grant  to  others  they  should  not  be 
debarred  from  granting  to  each  other.  They 
accordingly  divided  this  large  tract  among 
themselves,  each  absenting  himself  from  the 
court  on  the  day  his  grant  was  to  be  made. 

The  surrender  of  Lord  Corn  wall  is,  at  York- 
town,  Va.,  Oct.  19,  1781,  followed  by  an  armis- 
tice and  finally  by  the  definitive  treaty  of  peace, 
concluded  at  Paris  Sept.  3,  1783.  having  put  an 
end  to  hostilities  by  granting  the  independence 
of  tne  colonies,  and  including  the  territory  west 
to  the  Mississippi  in  that  ceded,  the  fate  of  this 
territory  was  thenceforward  to  be  controlled  by 


40 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTCRE  AND  STORY 


the  state  of  Virginia  and  Congress.  The  terri- 
tory was  in  1784  ceded  by  Virginia  to  the 
Uniteu  States. 

Conflicting  claims  among  land  speculators, 
the  inhabitants  of  Vincennes  and  vicinity,  uow 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  government.  The 
lands  claimed  by  the  French  settlers  at  Vin- 
cennes by  virtue  of  Indian  grants,  court  con- 
cessions, etc.,  and  other  lands  claimed  in  the 
northwestern  territory  aggregated  about  15,000 

'Photo  by  Todd 


establish  a  boundary  line  between  the  United 
States  and  the  Potawatomie,  Twightwee,  Pian- 
keshaw  and  other  western  nations,  a  treaty  be 
held  with  the  said  Indians  at  Post  Vincennes, 
om  the  Wabash  River,  on  the  20th  day  of  June. 
1785,  or  at  such  other  time  and  place  as  the 
commissioners  may  find  more  convenient." 
Pursuant  to  a  subsequent  resolution  of  Con- 
gress the  treaty  was  held  on  the  Ohio  River  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Great  Miami.  In  August, 


SECOND  STREET— Looking  North-east  from  Bosseron 


square  miles,  and  the  claims  of  the  Illinois  & 
Wabash  land  companies  were  far  larger  in  ex- 
tent. The  Indians  had  become  jealovis  of  the 
encroachments  of  the  whites  and  were  becom- 
ing restless.  To  quiet,  if  possible,  this  seething 
and  threatening  mass  of  conflicting  claims,  but 
primarily  to  keep  down  the  turbulent  spirits  of 
the  Indian  tribes.  Congress,  on  the  18th  of 
March,  1785.  resolved  "That  in  order  to  give 
greater  security  to  the  frontier  settlement  and 


1785.  the  Wabash  Indians  held  a  grand  counsel 
at  Ouiatenon.  About  the  same  time  a  French 
inhabitant  of  Vincennes  was  killed  by  an  In- 
dian and  in  retaliation  four  Indians  were  killed 
and  others  wounded  by  friends  of  the  French- 
man. Soon  afterwards  an  Indian  chief  de- 
manded of  the  French  inhabitants  of  Vincennes 
that  they  all  leave  the  post  against  a  certain 
d'ate,  as  the  Indian*  had  declared  war  against 
the  Americans  and  that  such  French  as  re- 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND  STORY 


41 


mained  would  receive  the  same  treatment  as 
that  accorded  the  Americans.  In  the  following 
year  settlers  who  arrived  at  Viucennes  in  boats 
were  fired  on  at  the  mouth  of  the  Embarrass. 
A  settler  by  the  name  of  Small  headed  a  com- 
pany of  thirty  or  forty  and  proceeded  to  attack 
the  Indians,  with  the  result  that  several  were 
killed  and  wounded  on  each  side. 

So  troublesome  had  the  Indians  become  by 
this  time  that  a  strong  military  force  was 
raised  in  Kentucky  tor  the  purpose  of  subduing 
them.  About  1,000  men,  undei  command  of 
General  George  Rogers  Clark,  marched  from 
the  Falls  of  the  Ohio  for  Vincennes  and  arrived 
here  early  in  October.  Here  the  army  went 
into  camp  to  nwalt  the  arrival  of  provisions 
that  were  to  come  by  boat.  At  the  end  of  nine 
days  the  boats  arrived  and  it  was  found  that 
half  the  provisions  were  spoiled.  That  part 
which  had  been  transported  by  land  was  al- 
most exhausted.  Discontent  had  already  be- 
gun to  manifest  itself  in  the  camp  and  when 
the  state  of  the  provisions  became  known  it 
was  greatly  increased.  Re-enforced  by  volun- 
teers from  Vincennes,  however,  the  force 
moved  up  the  river  to  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Vermillion,  the  army  finding  all  Indian  villages 
•deserted.  Here  a  false  rumor  was  spread 
among  them  to  the  effect  that  Gen.  Clark  had 
sent  a  flag  of  truce  to  the  Indians,  "with  an 
offer  of  peace  or  war."  "This  rumor,"  we  are 
told,  "combined  with  a  lamentable  change 
which  had  taken  place  in  the  once  temperate, 
bold,  energetic  and  commanding  character  of 
General  Clark,  excited  among  the  troops  a  spirit 
of  insubordination  which  neither  the  commands 
nor  the  entreaties  nor  the  tears  of  the  general 
could  subdue."  Three  hundred  troops  deserted 
in  a  body  and  the  expedition  was  abandoned. 

General  Clark,  feeling  that  to  abandon  the 
territory  after  this  demonstration  would  be  but 
to  embolden  the  Indians  and  endanger  not  only 
the  people  of  Vincennes  but  the  settlements  in 
Kentucky,  called  a  council  of  his  officers,  at 
which  it  was  decided  to  garrison  the  town  with 
one  field  officer  and  250  men  (exclusive  of  a 
company  of  artillery  to  be  commanded  by  Cap- 
tain Valentine  Thomas  Dalton)  which  force  was 
to  be  recruited  here.  It  was  further  decided 
that  the  command  should  be  entrusted  to 
Colonel  Holder.  General  Clark  began  to  levy 
recruits,  appoint  officers  and  impress  provisions 
for  the  support  of  the  garrison.  General  Clark 
also  opened  communications  with  the  Indian 


chieftains,  looking  to  treaties  of  peace,  and  ap- 
pointing a  meeting  for  "the  last  of  Aprtt,"  1787. 
The  agitation  in  the  west  over  the  Spanish 
claims  to  exclusive  right  to  navigate  the  Mis- 
sissippi, which  imposed  onerous  restrictions  on 
the  people  of  this  section,  and  the  rising  hos- 
tility of  the  people  of  the  west  against  Spain, 
at  least  gave  color  to  the  charges  made  that 
General  Clark's  action  was  in  reality  taken 
with  a  view  to  a  movement  against  the  Spanish 
settlements  and  the  fact  that  his  first  impress- 
ments at  Vincennes  were  from  a  Spanish  mer- 
chant lent  not  a  little  force  to  this  construction 
of  it.  The  matter  was  investigated  by  the  gov- 
ernment of  Virginia  and  by  Congress,  but  ap- 
parently not  very  thoroughly,  and  the  acts  of 
General  Clark  were  disavowed.  Congress 
passed  a  resolution  on  the  24th  of  April,  1789, 
directing  the  secretary  of  war  to  order  the 
commanding  officer  of  the  United  States  troops 
on  the  Ohio  to  take  immediate  and  efficient 
measures  "for  dispossessing  a  body  of  men 
who  had  in  a  lawless  and  unauthorized  manner, 
taken  possession  of  Post  Vincennes,  in  defi- 
ance of  the  proclamation  and  authority  of  the 
United  States." 

Mr.  English,  in  his  Life  of  General  Clark, 
takes  pains  to  defend  General  Clark  against 
the  charges  made  against  him  in  this  connec- 
tion. But  whether  just  or  not,  it  is  certain 
western  sentiment  would  have  supported  him 
in  such  a  move  at  this  time  against  the  prepos- 
tuous  claims  of  Spain;  and  certain  it  is  that 
war  was  narrowly  averted. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

GOVERNOR  SAINT  CLAIR— LAWS  FOR 
THE  GOVERNMENT  OF  THE  NORTH- 
WEST TERRITORY— INDIAN  TROU- 
BLES. 

The  first  governor  of  the  Northwestern  Terri- 
tory after  its  cession  to  the  United  States  was 
Major  General  Arthur  St.  Glair.  He  was  as- 
sisted by  a  council  consisting  of  three  judges, 
and  in  the  governor  and  judges  was  the  law- 
making  power.  Governor  St.  Clair  and  the 
judges  established  themselves  at  Marietta, 
Ohio,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum  River, 
winch  was  therefore  the  first  capital.  From 
this  place  a  code  of  laws  was  promulgated  near 
the  close  of  1788.  In  accordance  with  his  in- 
structions from  Congress.  Governor  St.  Clair 
early  turned  his  attention  to  securing  treaties 
with  the  Indians,  but  a  number  of  tribes  de- 


42 


A'INCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND   STORY 


dined  to  treat  and  others  to  acknowledge  the 
validity  of  treaties  formed  with  their  sachems. 
Roving  bands  of  marauding  Indians  caused 
much  trouble  and  in  this  regard  the  Wabash 
country  was  not  exempt.  In  a  report  to  the 
president  in  June,  1789,  General  Knox,  secre- 
tary of  war,  says,  among  other  things:  "It  is 
to  be  observed  that  the  United  Staes  have  not 
formed  any  treaties  with  the  Wabash  Indians. 
On  the  contrary,  since  the  conclusion  of  the 
war  with  Great  Britain,  hostilities  have  almost 
constantly  existed  between  he  people  of  Ken- 
tucky  and  the  said  Indians.  The  injuries  and 
murders  have  been  so  reciprocal  that  it  would 
be  a  point  of  critical  investigation  to  know  on 
which  side  they  have  been  the  greatest.  Some 
of  the  inhabitants  of  Kentucky  during  the  past 
year,  roused  by  injuries,  made  an  incursion 
into  the  Wabash  country,  and  possesing  an 
equal  aversion  to  all  bearing  the  -name  of  In- 

Photo  by  Shoies 


call  upon  the  President  for  directions  for  his 
government  in  dealing  with  the  problem  and  he 
likewise  does  not  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  the 
peaceable  Indians  of  the  Wabas'h  have  been 
made  to  suffer  for  the  wrongs  of  others,  by  the 
people  of  Kentucky. 

So  threatening  has  the  situation  become  be- 
fore the  close  of  the  year  1789  that  President 
Washington,  ini  replying  to  Governor  St.  Clair, 
authorizes  him,  in  case  of  necessity,  to  call  out 
the  militia  of  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania  to  the 
extent  of  1,500  men.  The  president  says,  to- 
ward the  close  of  his  communication,  "I  would 
have  it  observed,  forcibly,  that  a  war  with  the 
Wabash  Indians  ought  to  be  avoided  by  all 
means  consistently  with  the  security  of  the 
troops  and  the  national  dignity." 

The  president,  in  closing,  directs  General  St. 
Clair  to  proceed  "as  soon  as  you  can  with 
safety,  to  execute  the  orders  of  the  late  con- 


THE  PLEIADES 


dians,  they  destroyed  a  number  of  the  peace- 
able Piankeshaws,  who  prided  themselves  on 
their  attachment  to  the  United  States.  In  the 
course  of  this  communication  General  Knox 
discusses  the  Indian  problem  in  a  most  en- 
lightened and  humane  manner.  He  advocates 
the  formation  of  treaties  of  peace  "ini  which 
their  rights  and  limits  should  be  explicitly  de- 
fined and  the  treaties  observed  on  the  part  of 
the  United  States  with  the  most  exact  justice, 
by  punishing  the  whites  who  should  violate  the 
same.  The  alternative  of  this,  he  says,  is  the 
extermination  of  the  Indians,  for  which  he 
argues  there  is  no  warrant  in  right  or  justice. 
He  further  shows  its  impracticability.  He  esti- 
mates the  Wabash  tribes  at  1,500  to  2,000  war- 
riors, and  says  to  accomplish  their  destruction 
will  require  2,500  men  and  cost  $200,000,  and 
that  the  government  cannot  furnish  the 
money  for  the  campaign. 
Governor  St.  Clair  soon  found  it  necessary  to 


gress  respecting  the  inhabitants  of  Post  Vin- 
cennes  and  Kaskaskia,  and  the  other  villages 
on  the  Mississippi.  It  is  a  circumstance  of 
some  importance  that  the  said  inhabitants 
should,  as  soon  as  possible,  possess  the  lands 
to  which  they  are  entitled,  by  some  known  and 
fixed  principles." 

This  had  reference  to  the  resolutions  of  Con- 
gress of  the  20th  of  June,  and  the  28th  of 
August,  1788.  By  these  resolutions  provision 
was  made  to  confirm  the  titles  of  French  and 
Canadian  settlers  and  others  about  Kaskaskia 
and  Vincennes,  who  on  or  before  the  year  1783, 
"had  professed  themselves  citizens  of  the 
United  States  or  any  of  them."  A  tract  of  four 
hundred  acres  was  donated  to  each  head  of  a 
family  of  this  description  of  settlers. 

Governor  St.  Clair  started  from  Marietta  for 
the  various  outlying  posts  on  the  first  of  Janu- 
ary, 1790.  Before  leaving  Clarksville  he  sent 
dispatches  to  Major  Hamtramck,  commandant 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


43 


at  Vincennes,  among  which  appears  the  follow- 
ing, dated  Fort  Steuben,  January  23,  1790: 

"It  is  with  great  pain  that  I  have  heard  of  the 
scarcity  of  corn  which  reigns  in  the  settlements 
about  the  post.  I  hope  it  has  been  exaggerated; 
but  it  is  represented  to  me  that,  unless  a  supply 
of  that  article  can  be  sent  forward,  the  people 
must  actually  starve.  Corn  can  be  had  here  in 
any  quantity;  but  can'  the  people  pay  for  it? 
I  entreat  you  to  inquire  into  that  matter,  and  if 
you  flnil  they  cannot  do  without  it,  write  to  the 
contactor's  agent  here,  to  whom  I  will  give  or- 
ders to  send  forward  such  quantity  as  you  shall 
find  to  be  absolutely  necessary.  They  must  pay 
for  What  they  can  of  it;  but  they  must  not  be 
suffered  to  perish;  and  though  I  have  no  direct 
authority  from  the  government  for  this  purpose, 
I  must  take  it  upon  myself."  Whether  the  re- 
lief offered  was  availed  of  we  are  not  informed. 
In  his  report  from  Kaskaskia,  in  1790,  Governor 
St.  Clair  draws  a  sorry  picture  of  the  condi- 
tions at  that  post,  where  the  people  had  suf- 
fered from  flood  and  frost  as  well  as  from  the 
Indians,  and  ho  calls  attention  to  their  cheerful 
assistance  rendered  Clark,  and  failure  of  the 
State  of  Virginia  and  of  Congress  to  repay 
them  for  advances  made  Clark,  which  they 
were  ill  able  to  bear.  A  pathetic  memorial  in 
behalf  of  his  parishioners  is  presented  Governor 
St.  Clair  by  Father  Gibault,  from  which  we 
take  the  following  sentence  as  indicative  of  its 
character:  "Loaded  with  misery,  and  groaning 
under  the  weight  of  misfortunes  accumulated 
since  the  Virginia  troops  entered  their  country, 
the  unhappy  inhabitants  throw  themselves  un- 
der the  protection  of  your  excellency,  and  take 
the  liberty  to  solicit  you  to  lay  their  deplorable 
situation  before  Congress." 

The  attitude  of  the  Indian  nations,  with 
whom  Governor  St.  Clair  had  been  endeavoring 
to  conclude  treaties  of  peace,  becoming  so 
menacing  as  to  require  active  preparations  for 
war,  the  governor  left  Kaskaskia  on  the  llth 
of  June  to  consult  with  General  Harmer,  in 
command  of  the  military  forces  in  the  west, 
arriving  at  Fort  Washington  on  the  13th  of 
July.  Before  his  departure  he  instructed  his 
secretary,  Winthrop  Sargent,  to  proceed  to  Post 
Vincennes  and  execute  the  requirements  of  the 
congrssional  resolutions  with  reference  to  the 
lands  of  settlers  in  the  Wabash,  &c. 

Mr.  Sargent  proceeded  immediately  to  Post 
Vincennes,  laid  out  the  county  of  Knox,  ap- 
pointed various  civil  and  military  officers  and 


took  steps  to  secure  proofs  of  land  titles,  etc., 
according  to  his  instructions. 

In  a  report  to  the  president  at  the  end  of  July 
he  thus  portrays  the  conditions  as  he  found 
them  here.  "Although,"  says  Mr.  Sargent,  "the 
lands  and  lots  which  were  awarded  to  the  in- 
habitants appeared,  from  very  good  oral  testi- 
mony, to  belong  to  those  persons  to  whom  they 
•were  awarded,  either  by  original  grants,  pur- 
cfrase  or  inheritance,  yet  there  was  scarcely  one 
case  in  twenty  where  the  title  was  complete, 
owing  to  the  desultory  manner  in  which  pub- 
lic business  had  been  transacted,  and  some 
other  unfortunate  causes.  The  original  conces- 
sions by  the  French  and  British  commandants 
were  generally  made  on  a  small  scrap  of  paper, 
which  it  was  customary  to  lodge  in  the  notary's 
office,  who  has  seldom  kept  any  book  of  record, 
but  committed  the  most  important  land  con- 
cerns to  loose  sheets,  which  in  the  process  of 
time  have  come  into  possession  of  persons  who 
have  fraudulently  destroyed  them,  or,  unac- 
quainted with  their  consequence,  innocently  lost 
or  trifled  them  away;  for  by  the  French  usage 
they  are  considered  as  family  inheritances,  and 
often  descend  to  women  and  children.  In  one 
instance,  and  during  the  government  of  Mr. 
St.  Ange  here,  a  royal  notary  ran  off  with  all 
the  papers  in  his  possession,  as  by  a  certificate 
produced  to  me.  And  I  am  very  sorry  further 
to  observe  that  in  the  office  of  Mr.  LeGrand, 
which  continued  from  1777  to  1787,  and  where 
should  have  been  the  vouchers  for  important 
land  transactions,  the  records  have  been  so 
falsified  and  there  is  such  gross  fraud  and 
forgery  as  to  invalidate  all  evidence  and  in- 
formation which  I  might  otherwise  have  ob- 
tained from  his  papers." 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  of  interest  to  re- 
produce a  few  samples  of  descriptions  preva- 
lent in  deeds  of  that  date,  which  are  taken  from 
notes  made  by  Judge  Law  to  his  lecture  on 
Vincennes.  The  judge  says:  "Judging  from  the 
description  of  the  concessions  as  then  made,  it 
would  be  somewhat  troublesome  in  these  mod- 
ern times,  to  find  them."  Examples  follow: 

"The  widow  of  Peter  Gormare. — A  house  and 
lot,  the  boundaries  oot  expressed,  but  to  be  sur- 
veyed agreeably  to  possession,  and  not  inter- 
fering with  the  streets." 

"Robert  Buntin. — A  house  and  lot  in  Vin- 
cennes, front  on  the  Wabash,  back  to  the  In- 
dian fields,  one  side  by  Maonaman,  on  the  other 
by  Francis  the  Catspaw,  about  one  acre  in 


44 


VINCEXNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


length  each  way."  "Five  pieces  of  land,  for- 
merly held  by  Kettle  Carrier,  sold  by  Quiquila- 
quia,  the  grandson  of  Kettle  Carrier,  with  the 
approbation  of  Montour  and  the  other 
chiefs." 

"Five  pieces  of  land  In  the  old  Piankeshaw 
town  at  Vincennes,  sold  by  Montour." 

On  the  13th  of  July,  1790,  there  were  in  Post 
Vincennes  one  hundred  forty-three  heads  of 
families,  who  were  entitled,  by  reason  of  resi- 
dence prior  to  1783,  to  confirmation  of  their 
grants.  While  making  preparations  for  this 
Mr.  Sargent  received  numerous  petitions  for 

'Photo  by  Shores 


SITE  OF  FORT  KNOX  ABOVE  THE  CITY 


confirmation  of  grants  made  by  the  court  under 
Major  LeGras's  regime,  and  he  demanded  of 
this  court  by  what  authority  these  grants  were 
made,  receiving  a  frank  and  full  explanation 
by  letter,  which,  however,  failed  to  establish 
such  authority.  The  matter  of  these  grants  was 
treated  in  a  liberal  spirit  by  Congress,  and  in 
1791  the  governor  of  the  northwest  territory 
was  empowered,  when  lands  had  been  actually 
improved  under  supposed  grants,  to  confirm  the 
titles,  but  limiting  the  amount  of  grant  to  400 
acres. 
During  the  summer  of  1790,  acting  Governor 


Sargent  and  the  judges  enacted  three  stringent 
laws,  designed  to  suppress  gambling  and  con- 
trol the  liquor  traffic  in  the  interests  of  the 
peace  and  good  order  of  the  village  and  vicin- 
ity. Om  the  23d  of  July  Mr.  Sargent  received 
a  letter  signed  by  nine  citizens  of  the  village, 
seven  of  whom  signed  as  "Magistrates." 
Among  the  names  to  the  letter  was  that  of 
Francis  Vigo,  "Commandant  of  Militia."  They 
commended  in  the  strongest  terms  the  efforts 
of  Mr.  Sargent  in  be'half  of  law  and  order  and 
expressed  great  satisfaction  with  the  new  gov- 
ernment. 

On  his  arrival  at 
Fort  Washington  on 
the  13th  of  July. 
Governor  St.  Clair 
found  the  situation 
so  threatening  that 
he  desired,  in  pur- 
suance of  the  au- 
thority given  him  by 
the  President,  to 
levy  1,500  militia 
from  Pennsylvania 
and  Virginia  and 
make  a  vigorous 
campaign  against 
the  Indians.  This  he 
did  and  300  of  the 
militia  of  Virginia 
were  ordered  to  ren- 
dezvous at  Fort 
Steuben  and  with 
the  garrison  of  regu- 
lars at  that  fort  to 
march  to  Vincennes 
and  join  Major 
Hamtramck,  who 

had  orders  to  call  to  his  aid  the  local  militia 
and  to  move-  up  the  Wabash  to  attack  any  of 
the  Indian  \illages  to  which  his  force  might  be 
equal.  The  remainder  of  the  troops  were  to 
join  the  garrison  of  regulars  at  Fort  Washing- 
ton under  General  Harmer. 

The  operations  of  the  army  under  command 
of  General  Harmer  in  Ohio  during  the  summer 
were  by  no  means  creditable,  the  militia  behav- 
ing in  a  cowardly  manner.  The  losses  were 
fully  as  heavy  as  those  of  the  Indians.  From 
Vincennes  Major  Hamtramck  marched  up  the 
Wabash  and  destroyed  some  deserted  Indian 


YINCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


45 


villages  at  the  inouth  of  the  Vermillion  and  re- 
turned to  Vincennes  without  meeting  any  oppo- 
sition. 

These  operations  'having  produced  no  visible 
improvement  in  the  situation,  in  March,  1791, 
General  Knox,  secretary  of  war,  wrote  Briga- 
dier General  Scott,  of  Kentucky,  authorizing 
him  to  raise  a  force  of  Kentuckians,  not  to  ex- 
ceed 750,  and  proced  against  the  Indians  on  the 
Wabash.  This  General  Scott  did,  crossing  the 
Ohio  May  23.  He  does  not  appear,  however, 
to  have  passed  via  Vincennes,  but  to  the  east 
of  the  post.  On  the  4th  of  June  the  first  In- 

Thoto  by  Shores 


A  VIEW  ON  KELSO'S  CREEK 


diau  was  sighted  and  soon  afterwards  a  cum- 
ber of  villages  were  destroyed,  including 
Ouiatcnon.  which  had  "a  considerable  French 
population,  and  many  well  furnished  houses," 
according  to  General  Scott's  report.  General 
Scott  adds  that  "by  the  books,  letters  and 
other  documents  found  there  it  is  evident  it 
was  in  close  connection  with,  and  dependent  on, 
Detroit."  General  Scott,  after  the  destruction 
of  these  villages  returned  to  Kentucky,  arriving 
at  the  Falls  June  14,  "without  the  loss  of  a  sin- 
gle man  by  the  enemy,  and  only  five  wounded; 
having  killed  thirty-two,  chiefly  warriors  of  size 


and  figure,  and  taken  fifty-eight  prisoners." 

By  authority  of  Governor  St.  Clair  a  second 
expedition  was  organized  by  the  "Board  of 
War"  of  Kentucky  and  ordered  to  rendezvous 
at  Fort  Washington  not  later  than  July  20, 
"well  mounted  on  horseback,  well  armed  and 
provided  with  thirty  days'  provisions."  The 
command  of  this  expedition  was  given  to  Brig- 
adier-General Wilkinson  on  the  first  of  August, 
who,  at  the  head  of  525  men,  directed  his  march 
toward  an  important  village  on  the  Eel  River, 
near  its  junction  with  the  Wabash.  Taking  a 
direction  similar  to  that  of  General  Scott  he 
reached  the  town  he 
sought  on  the  even- 

ing  of  the  7th.    The 

town  was  destroyed, 
six  warriors,  two 
squaws  and  a  child 
killed  and  thirty-four 
prisoners  taken. 
After  destroying  the 
crops  he  continued 
his  march,  destroy- 
ing a  number  of 
other  villages,  but 
meeting  no  further 
resistance,  until  the 
state  of  his  provi- 
sions and  the  condi- 
tion of  his  horses 
warned  him  that  he 
must  return.  On  this 
expedition  he  reports 
that  he  destroyed 
"430  acres  of  corn  in 
the  milk." 

In  the  fall  of  1791, 
Governor  St.  Clair, 
collecting  another 

army  of  something  like  fifteen,  hundred  men, 
mostly  undisciplined  militia,  moved  against  the 
Mia  mis,  only  to  meet  with  one  of  the  most  dis- 
astrous defeats  in  the  history  of  the  country, 
losing  thirty-nine  officers  and  593  men  killed 
and  missing,  among  the  officers  killed  being 
Major-General  Butler.  The  retreat  was  a  pre- 
cipitate flight,  all  wounded  being  left  to  their 
fate  in  the  hands  of  the  merciless  savage  foe. 

While  the  savages  had  suffered  heavily  in 
these  campaigns  it  may  be  imagined  that  these 
successes,  combined  with  the  impression  they 
had  gained  that  the  Americans  meant  to  de- 


46 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


prive  them  of  their  lands,  which,  by  the  way, 
was  not  far  from  correct,  did  not  act  as  a  seda- 
tive to  their  war-like  temper.  General  St.  Clair 
resigned  his  commission!  as 'major-general  and 
was  succeeded  by  General  Wayne  ("Mad  An- 
thony") of  revolutionary  fame.  These  reverses 
had  taught  the  lesson  that  a  larger  regular 
army  was  necessary.  Steps  were  taken  to  en- 
large the  army  to  something  over  5,000  men. 
It  had  previously  been  about  1,000,  of  which 
not  more  than  400  to  600  were  in  the  west. 

While   General   Wayne   was   organizing   and 
drilling  his  little  army,  the  United  States  gov- 

Phoio  by  Shores 


SCENE  NORTHEAST  OF  THE  CITY 


eminent  was  doing  everything  possible  to  ar- 
range treaties  of  peace  with  the  various  Indian 
tribes.  Many  messengers,  commissioners  and 
spies  were  sent  among  them,  generally  only  to 
lose  their  lives.  Major  Trueman  and  Colonel 
Hardin,  both  distinguished  Indian  fighters,  lost 
their  lives  on  one  of  these  missions,  for  which 
they  had  volunteered.  At  Vincennes,  April  7, 
1792,  Major  Hamtramck  the  commandant,  con- 
cluded treaties  with  small  parties  of  the  Weas 
and  Eel  River  tribes,  and  on  the  27th  of  Sep- 
tember, Brigadier-General  Rufus  Putnam  con- 
cluded a  treaty  with  thirty-one  "Kings,  chiefs 


and   Warriors"    of   the   Wabash    and     Illinois 
tribes  "on  the  part  of  said  tribes,"  but  the  Sen- 
ate refused  to  ratify  this  treaty  on  account  of 
some  of  its  provisions,  which  were  regarded  as 
objectionable.    Legesse,  the  principal  chief  of 
the  Potawatomies,  wrote  to  Major  Hamtramck 
a  letter  professing  the  strongest  friendship,  but 
advising  him  that  the  Americans  had  more  In- 
dians to  fight  than  ever  before.    The  majority 
of  the  chiefs  refused  to  treat  on  any  other  basis 
than  that  the  Ohio  River  should  be  made  the 
boundary  line  between  the  Indians  and  whites. 
General  Wayne,   having  at  his  command  a 
well  organized  force 
of  about  2,600  effect- 
ive  men   and  being 
joined      at      Fort 
Greenville    by    Gen- 
eral Scott,    of  Ken- 
tucky,    with   a  bri- 
gade of  cavalry,  set 
forth     from     Fort 
Greenville     on     the 
?.8th  of  July  to  at- 
tacK     the     confeder- 
ated tribes.    An*  ad- 
vance section  of  this 
array,  amounting   to 
about  900  men,  came 
up  with  a   force  of 
2,000  savages  on  the 
banks    of   the    Mau- 
mee  on  the  20th  of 
August,  and  after  a 
hard    fought    battle. 
almost      under      the 
guns  of  the  B-itish 
fort,  which  had  been 
built  here,   in  viola- 
tion of  the  treaty  of 

Paris,  routed  them  with  great  slaughter.  As 
a  result  they  were  immediately  ready  for  a 
treaty.  They  were  invited  to  Fort  Greenville 
to  treat,  and  there,  on  the  10th  of  August  of  the 
next  year,  1795,  a  satisfactory  definitive  treaty 
was  concluded  by  General  Wayne. 

In  May,  1795,  Governor  St.  Clair  and  Judges 
Symmes  and  Turner  met  at  Cincinnati  and  en- 
acted a  code  of  laws,  containing  thirty-eight 
sections  for  the  government  of  the  Northwest 
Territory. 

On  the  3d  of  March,  1796,  a  treaty  was  signed 
between  the  United  States  and  Spain,  by  which 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


47 


the  boundary  line  became  the  middle  of  the 
Mississippi,  and  the  long  vexed  question  of  the 
navigation  of  that  stream  was  settled  by  its 
being  freely  conceded  to  the  United  States. 
Notwithstanding  this  treaty,  however,  Spandsh 
officials  delayed  the  surrender  of  certain  posts 
held  on  this  side  of  the  river  and  entered  into 
intrigues  with  France  and  certain  dissatisfied 
Americans  of  the  western  territory,  by  which 
it  was  hoped  to  induce  the  West  to  separate 
from  the  eastern  states,  by  which  those  nations 
hoped  to  profit.  Emissaries  were  sent  from  the 
Spanish  headquarters  in  Louisiana,  obsteusibly 
on  an  official  mission  to  Gen.  Wilkinson,  com- 
manding the  American  forces,  to  whom  a  letter 
wase  sent,  but  really  to  spy  out  the  situation 
and  report  the  prevailing  sentiment  of  the  peo- 
ple. General  Wilkinson  was  not  deceived,  and 
sent  the  Spanish  agent  out  of  the  country  un- 
der escort.  During  the  ensuing  four  years  the 
diplomatic  situation  between  the  United  States 
on  the  one  side  and  France  and  Spain  on  the 
other  was  exceedingly  strained  and  war  was 
so  imminent  that  Congress  made  vigorous 
preparations  in  view  of  it.  Ex-President  Wash- 
ington was  appointed  commander-in-chief  of 
the  American  armies.  But  happily  war  was 
averted  and  treaties  of  peace  and  commercial 
relations  concluded  in  1800. 

CHAPTER   X. 

GENERAL  HARRISON  BECOMES  SECRE- 
TARY OF  THE  NORTHWEST  TERRI- 
TORY.—LEGISLATURE  ESTABLISHED. 
—FIRST  DELEGATE  IN  CONGRESS.— 
COUNT  DE  VOLNEY  WRITES  OF  V1N- 
CENNES. 

On  the  7th  of  May,  1798,  William  Henry  Har- 
rison was  appointed  secretary  of  the  territory 
northwest  of  the  Ohio  and  the  nomination  con- 
firmed by  the  Senate  on1  the  28th  of  the  same 
month.  On  the  29th  of  October  Governor  St. 
('lair  issued  a  proclamation  directing  the  quali- 
fied voters  to  hold  elections  in  their  respective 
counties  on  the  third  Monday  in  December, 
for  representatives  to  a  General  Assembly, 
which  he  ordered  to  convene  at  Cincinnati  on 
January  22.  1799.  This  was  the,  first  general 
election  within  the  bounds  of  this  territory. 
The  representatives  met  in  accordance  with  the 
proclamation  and  in  order  to  establish  a  "legis- 
lative council,"  as  provided  in  the  Ordinance  of 
1787.  for  the  government  of  the  territory,  nomi- 
nated ten  persons  whose  names  were  sent  to 


the  president.  From  these  the  president  nomi- 
nated for  members  of  the  council  five,  as  fol- 
lows: Jacob'  Burnet,  James  Findlay,  Henry 
Vanderburgto,  Robert  Oliver  and  David  Vance. 
They  were  immediately  confirmed  by  the  Sen- 
ate. The  first  territorial  legislature  met  at  Cin- 
cinnati on  the  16th  of  September,  1799,  but  it 
was  the  24th  before  an  organization  was  ef- 
fected. Henry  Vanderburgh  was  elected,  presi- 
dent of  the  first  Legislative  Council.  The  House 
of  Representatives  consisted  of  nineteen  mem- 
bers. Shadrach  Bond  was  the  member  from 
Knox  County.  Edward  Tiffin,  of  Ross  County, 
was  elected  speaker.  On  October  3,  1799,  Wm. 
Henry  Harrison  was  elected  by  the  Legislature 
delegate  to  the  National  Congress  from  this  ter- 
ritory. During  this  session,  which  was  closed 
December  19,  thirty-seven  acts  were  passed 


WILLIAM  HENRY  HARRISON 


and  approved  by  the  governor. 

By  the  treaty  of  Greenville,  negotiated  by 
General  Wayne,  in  1795,  the  Indians  were  given 
all  the  lands  lying  within  the  present  limits  of 
Indiana,  with  the  exception  of  certain  specific 
tracts  which  included  "the  town  of  Vincennes, 
on  the  Waliash.  and  the  adjacent  lands,  to 
which  the  Indian  title  had  been  extinguished." 
The  earliest  mention  we  have  seen  of  Fort 
Knox  is  under  date  of  179G,  when  it  is  said 


48 


YIXCEXXES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


there  was  "a  small  garrison  at  Fort  Knox,  un- 
der command  of  Captain  Thomas  Pasteur,  of 
the  First  United  States  regiment,  'till  Septem- 
ber, 1798,  when,  on  the  removal  of  this  officer 
to  Fort  Massac,  the  garrison  at  Fort  Knox  was 
placed  under  the  command  of  Captain  Robert 
Buntin."  The  Count  de  Volney  states  that 
when  he  visited  Vincennes  in  1796  there  were 
about  fifty  houses  here,  "whose  cheerful  white 
relieved  the  eye,  after  the  tedious  dusk  and 
green  of  the  woods." 

Volney,  who  was  a  French  traveler  and  writ- 
er of  distinction,  thus  describes  some  of  his 
experiences: 

Photo  by  Shores 


VIEW  NORTH  OF  VINCENNES  NEAR  FORT  KNOX 


"Adjoining  the  village  and  the  river  is  a 
space,  inclosed  by  a  ditch  eight  feet  wide,  and 
by  sharp  stakes  six  feet  high.  This  is  called 
the  fort,  and  is  a  sufficient  safeguard  against 
surprises  by  the  Indians.  I  had  letters  to  a 
principal  man  (Henry  Vanderburgh)  of  the 
place,  by  birth  a  Dutchman,  who  spoke  good 
French.  I  was  accommodated  at  his  house  in 
the  kindest  and  most  hospitable  manner  for 
ten  days.  The  day  after  my  arrival  (Aug.  3d) 
a  court  was  held,  to  which  I  repaired  to  make 


my  remarks  on  the  scene.    On  entering  I  was 
surprised  to  find  the  audience     divided     into 
races  of  men  in  person  and  feature  widely  dif- 
ferent from  each  other.  The  fair  or  light  brown 
hair,  ruddy  complexion,  round  face  and  plump 
body,  indicative  of  health  and  ease,  of  the  one 
set,  were  forcibly  contrasted  with  the  emaciated 
frame      and      meager,      tawny      visage      of 
the  other.    The  dress,   likewise,   of   the  latter 
denoted  their  indigence.    I  soon  discovered  that 
the  former  were  new  settlers  from  the  states, 
whose  lands   had   been   reclaimed   five   or   six 
years  before,  while  the  latter  were  French  of 
sixty    years'     standing    in    the    district    The 
latter,  three  or  four 
e  x  c  e  p  te  d.      knew 
nothing    of    English, 
while     the     former 
were     almost  as  ig- 
norant of  French.    I 
had  acqiiired.  in  the 
course  of  the  year,  a 
sufficient   knowledge 
of    English    to    con- 
verse     with      them 
and    was    thus    en- 
abled    to  hear     the 
tales  of  both  parties. 
"The  French,  in  a 
querulous    tone,    re- 
counted    the    losses 
and    hardships   they 
had      suffered.      es- 
pecially     since     the 
last   Indian    war.    in 
1788.    *    *    *      They 
complain  e  d      that 
they    were     cheated 
and       robbed.       and 
especially  that  their 
rights       were       con- 
tinually    violated     by    the    .courts,     in     which 
two    judges  only    out    of   live    were     French- 
men, who  knew  little  of  the  laws  or  language 
of  the  English.    Their  ignorance,  indeed,  was 
profound.    Nobody      ever      opened      a      school 
among  them,  till  it  was  done  by  the  able  R. 
(Riveti  a  polite,  well  educated  and  liberal  mind- 
ed missionary,  banished  hither  by  the  French 
revolution.    Out  of  nine  of  the  French  scarcely 
six  could  read  or  write,  whereas,  nine-tenths  of 
the   Americans   or   immigrants   from   the  East 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


49 


could  do  both.  *  *  *  I  could  not  fix,  with 
accuracy,  the  date  of  the  first  settlement  of 
Vincennes,  and,  notwithstanding  the  homage 
paid  by  some  learned  men  to  tradition,  I  could 
trace  out  but  few  events  of  the  war  of  1757, 
though  some  of  the  old  men  lived  before  that 
time.  I  was  able  to  form  a  conjecture  that  it 
was  formed  about  1735. 

"These  statements  were  confirmed  for  the 
most  part  by  the  new  settlers.  They  only 
placed  the  same  facts  in  a  different  point  of 
view.  They  told  me  that  the  Canadians  (for 
by  that  name  the  French  of  the  Western  colo- 

9hofo  by  Toiunslev 


VIEW  IN  CATHOLIC  CEMETERY 


nics  are  known  to  them)  had  only  themselves 
to  blame  for  all  the  hardships  they  complained 
of.  We  must  allow,  say  they,  that  they  are  a 
kind,  hospitable,  sociable  sect:  but  then  for 
idleness  and  ignorance  they  beat  the  Indians 
themselves.  They  know  nothing  at  all  of  our 
civil  or  domestic  affairs.  Their  women  neither 
sew.  nor  spin,  nor  make  butter.*  *  *  The 
men  take  to  nothing  but  hunting,  fishing, 
roaming  through  the  woods  and  loitering  in  the 
sun.  They  do  not  lay  up,  as  we  do  for  winter, 
or  provide  for  a  rainy  day.  They  cannot  cure 
pork  or  venison,  make  sourkraut  or  spruce  beer, 


or  distilled  spirits  from  apples  or  rye,— all  need 
ful  arts  to  the  farmer." 

The  French  inhabitants  of  Vincennes  having 
become   accustomed   to   the   arbitrary   govern- 
ment by  commandants  and  being  unacquainted 
with  customs  and  usages  of  the  people  of  the 
English  colonies,  preferred  this  form  of  gov- 
ernment.     Colonel  Clark  appointed  command- 
ants    for     Kaskaskia     and     Vincennes,     and 
Colonel  Todd,  the  first  lieutenant  for   Illinois 
County  did  likewise.    Colonel  Legras  was  ap- 
pointed by  Colonel  Todd    for    Vincennes    and 
carefully  instructed  in  his  duties.    Having  de- 
c  i  d  e  d,      in      1780, 
to  withdraw  all  the 
American    forces    to 
the    mouth     of    the 
Ohio,  and  fearing  to 
leave       Vincennes 
without  military  pro- 
tection,     Colonel 
Todd  authorized 
Colonel        Bosseron, 
then  commandant  at 
the  Post,  to  raise  a 
company  to  garrison 
the    post,    providing 
him  with  blank  com- 
missions for  the  of- 
ficers,    with     assur- 
ances that  the  garri- 
son    would     be     al- 
lowed      pay      and 
rations   by   the   gov- 
ernment 

Concerning  the 
condition  of  things 
at  Vincennes  and 
Kaskaskia  in  1783, 
a  letter  written  by 

Walter  Daniel,  Esq.,  to  Virginia  officials,  under 
date  of  February  3,  says:  "He  (Captain  Tarde- 
veaux)  complains  that  they  are  wholly  without 
law  or  government;  that  their  magistrates, 
from  ignorance  or  sinster  views,  having  for 
some  time  been  relax  in  the  execution  of  their 
offices,  are  now  altogether  without  authority; 
that  crimes  of  the  greatest  enormity  may  be 
committed  with  impunity,  and  a  man  may  be 
murdered  in  his  own  house  and  no  person  re- 
gards it;  that  they  have  no  sheriffs  nor  pris- 
ons; and,  to  crown  the  general  confusion,  that 
many  persons  have  made  large  purchases  of 


50 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE   AND   STORY 


three  or  four  hundred  leagues,  and  are  en- 
deavoring to  have  themselves  established  lords 
of  the  soil,  as  some  have  done  in  Canada." 

This  chaotic  condition  of  affairs  was  relieved 
after  the  visit  of  Colonel  Josiah  Harmar,  who, 
at  the  head  of  a  detachment  of  U.  S.  infantry, 
visited  Vincennes  in  July,  1787.  Major  John  F. 
Hamtramck  was  stationed  here  with  a  strong 
garrison  of  infantry. 

A  numerously  signed  petition  was  presented 


ST.  VINCENT'S  ORPHANAGE 

to  Major  Hamtramck  soon  after,  by  the  citi- 
zens, for  relief  from  land-grabbers,  who  had  ap- 
propriated the  "commons"  for  the  purpose  of 
carrying  on  an  improper  traffic  with  persons 
who  are  not  permanent  citizens."  Relief  was 
promptly  granted  by  the  major,  as  requested. 
To  prevent  other  abuses  Major  Hamtramck  is- 
sued an  order  prohibiting  all  persons  from 
"selling,  mortgaging  or  exchanging  any  of  their 
goods,  lands  or  slaves,  without  express  per- 
mission from  the  officer  commanding  at  this 
place."  . 

CHAPTER  XI. 

ESTABLISHMENT     OF    INDIANA     TERRI- 
TORY.—GOVERNOR  HARRISON.— FIRST 
GRAND    JURY.— FIRST    LEGISLATURE. 
-VARIOUS  MATTERS   OF  INTEREST. 
On  the  division  of  the  Northwestern  Terri- 


tory by  the  act  of  May  7,  1800,  the  seat  of  gov- 
ernment of  the  Indian  Territory  was  fixed  at 
Viucennes,  and  William  Henry  Harrison,  a 
native  of  Virginia,  became  its  first  governor, 
May  13,  1800.  On  the  next  day  John  Gibson, 
of  Pennsylvania,  became  secretary.  It  was  to 
this  man,  many  years  before,  that  the  Indian 
chief,  Logan,  delivered  his  celebrated  speech. 
William  Clark,  Henry  Vanderburgh  and  John 
Griffin  were  soon  afterwards  appointed  terri- 
torial judges.  At 
this  time  the  civil- 
ized population  of 
the  territory  was  es- 
timated at  4,875. 
The  new  secretary 
arrived  at  Vincennes 
in  July  and  in  the 
absence  of  the  gov- 
ernor appointed  a 
number  of  territorial 
officers  to  provide 
for  the  administra- 
tion of  the  laws. 
Governor  Harrison 
arrived  early  in  Jan- 
uary, 1801,  and  on 
the  10th  of  that 
month  issued  a 
proclamation  requir- 
ing the  attendance 
of  the  judges  at  the 
seat  of  government 
for  the  purpose  of 

"adopting  and  publishing  such  laws  as  the  ex- 
igencies of  the  times"  required,  and  for 
the  "performance  of  other  acts  conform- 
able to  the  ordinances  and  laws  of  Con- 
gress for  the  government  of  the  terri- 
tory." The  governor  and  the  judges  met 
on  the  12th  and  continued  in  session  till  the 
26th  of  the  same  month,  during  which  time 
they  adopted  and  published  seven  laws  and 
three  resolutions. 

The  first  term  of  the  territorial  court  was 
begun  at  Vincennes  on  the  24th  day  of  March, 
1801.  by  the  three  judges  named  above.  The 
first  grand  jury  impaneled  within  the  territory 
was  composed  of  the  following  nineteen  per- 
sons: Luke  Decker,  Antoine  Marchal,  Joseph 
Baird.  Patrick  Simpson,  Antoine  Petit,  Andre 
Montplaiseur,  John  Ockiltree,  Jonathan  Mar- 
ney,  Jacob  Tevebaugh,  Alexander  Varley, 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


51 


Francois  Turpin,  Fr.  Compagiioitte,  Charles 
Languedoc,  Louis  Severe,  Fr.  Languedoc, 
George  Catt,  Johu  Bt  Barois,  Abraham  Decker, 
Philip  Catt. 

One  of  the  first  questions  which  occupied  the 
attention  of  the  newly  organized  territory  of 


'Photo  by  Tcnonsley 


A  HOME  ON  THE  ROLLING  DEEP 


1802.    The  main  object  of  those  who  favored 
this  convention  was  to  consider  the  expediency 
of  adopting  measures  to  secure  the  repeal  or 
suspension  of  that  article  of  the  ordinances  of 
1787  which  prohibited  the  holding    of    slaves 
in   the   territory.    The  convention   declared   in 
favor  of  the  suspen- 
sion    of     the     sixth 
article    of    the    or- 

-  dinances  and  so  peti- 
tioned Congress.  But 
Congress  declined  to 
accede  to  their  de- 
m  a  n  ds.  Petitions 
and  remonstrances 
by  the  friends  and 
enemies  of  slavery 
began  to  be  frequent 
subjects  of  consider- 
tion  by  Congress  and 
the  political  caldron 
of  the  territory  was 
seething  for  a  num- 
ber of  years. 

A  majority  of  the 
electors  of  the  ter- 
ritory having,  Sept. 
11,  1804,  declared  in 
favor  of  electing  a 
territorial  le  g  i  s  1  a- 
ture,  Gov.  Harrison 
issued  a  proclama- 
tion calling  for  such 
an  election  to  be  held 


Indiana  was  that  of  slavery,  which  had  been 
introduced  into  the  territory  under  the  French 
laws.  Louis  XIII.  of  France  had,  in  1615,  pro- 
mulgated a  code  of  laws  consisting  of  fifty-five 
articles,  "in  order  to  maintain  the  discipline  of 
the  apostolic  Roman  Catholic  Church  and  to 
regulate  the  estate  and  condition  of  slaves  in 
the  said  country"  of  Louisiana  Territory.  Vari- 
ous persons  at  both  Kaskaskia  and  Vincennes 
were  owners  of  slaves  from  the  earliest  times. 
The  slave  question  began  to  agitate  the  people 
of  the  territory  early  in  the  administration  of 
Governor  Harrison,  and  at  the  earnest  solicita- 
tion of  many  of  the  inhabitants  Governor  Har- 
rison, on  the  22d  of  November.  1892.  gave  notice 
of  an  election  to  be  held  on  the  llth  of  Decem- 
ber, following,  for  delegates  to  meet  in  conven- 
tion at  Yincennes  on  the  20th  of  December, 


on  the  3d  of  January, 

1805,  and  fixing  the  number  of  members  from 
each  county.  The  members  so  elected  were  to 
meet  in  Vincennes  on  the  first  of  February  and 
nominate  ten  persons,  from  whose  numbel%  ac- 
cording to  law,  the  president  would  select  the 
legislative  council,  or  upper  house  of  the  Legis- 
lature. The  members  so  nominated  for  Knox 
County  were  John  Rice  Jones,  who  in  subse- 
quent years  became  a  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Missouri,  and  Jacob  Kuykendall. 
President  Jefferson,  not  knowing  the  men, 
wisely  decided  to  depute  to  Governor  Harrison 
the  authority  to  name  them.  Accordingly  he 
sent  to  the  governor  an  instrument  with 
blanks  for  the  insertion  of  the  names,  caution- 
ing him  to  reject  "land  jobbers,  dishonest  men 
and  those  who,  though  honest,  might  suffer 


52 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND   STORY 


themselves  to  be  warped  by  party  prejudices." 
The  first  Legislature  of  Indiana  Territory  met 
at  Vincennes,  July  29,  1805,  and  the  lower  house 
was  composed  of  seven  members.  The  mem- 
bers from  Knox  County  were  Benjamin  Parke 
and  John  Johnson. 

Governor  Harrison's  message  called  for  need- 
ed legislation  on  a  number  of  subjects,  the  first, 
and  that  on  which  he  dwelt  longest,  being  to 
prevent  the  sale  of  intoxicants  to  the  Indians. 
On  this  subject  he  said:  "The  interests  of  your 
constituents,  the  interests  of  the  miserable  In- 
dians, and  your  own  feelings,  will  sufficiently 
urge  you  to  'take  it  into  your  most  serious  con- 
sideration, and  provide  the  remedy  which  is  to 
save  thousands  of  our  fellow  creatures.  You 
are  witnesses  to  the  abuses;  you  have  seen  our 
town  crowded  with  furious  and  drunken  sav- 
ages; our  streets  flowing  with  their  blood; 
their  arms  and  clothes  bartered  for  the  liquor 
that  destroys  them; 
and  their  miserable  Photo  by  Shores 
women  and  children 
enduring  all  the  ex- 
tremities of  cold  and 
hunger.  So  destruct- 
ive has  the  progress 
of  intern  p  e  r  a  n  c  e 
been  among  them 
that  whole  villages 
have  been  swept 
away.  A  miserable 
remnant  is  all  that 
remains  to  mark  the 
names  and  situa- 
tion of  many  numer- 
ous and  warlike 
tribes.  In  the  en- 
ergetic language  of 
one  of  their  orators, 
'it  is  a  dreadful  con- 
flagration, which 
spreads  misery  and 
desolation  through 
the  country,'  and 
threatens  the-  anni- 
hilation of  the  race." 

The  Indiana  territory,  as  first  organized  in 
1800,  included  what  is  now  the  states  of  Illinois 
and  Michigan,  as  well  as  the  state  of  Indiana. 
Michigan  was  cut  off  in  June,  1805,  but  Illinois 
remained  within  the  Indiana  Territory  till  1809. 
In  addition  to  the  government  of  the  territory, 


Governor  Harrison  was  intrusted  with  other 
important  matters  by  the  government  at 
Washington.  Among  these  was  that  of  culti- 
vating the  friendship  of  the  Indian  tribes,  with 
whom  he  was  empowered,  on  behalf  of  the 
United  States,  to  conclude  treaties.  He  was 
urged  to  use  all  pacific  m.eans  in  his  power  to 
extinguish  the  Indian  title  to  lands  northwest 
of  the  Ohio,  and  so  successful  was  he  in  this, 
that  by  a  series  of  some  seven  treaties  with  the 
various  tribes,  before  the  close  of  1805,  he  had 
secured  the  relinquishnient  by  the  Indians  to- 
the  United  States  of  40,000  square  miles  of  ter- 
ritory. 

In  1807  the  first  revised  statutes  of  the  terri- 
tory were  published  at  Vincennes  by  Messrs.. 
Stout  &  Smoot,  "Printers  to  the  Territory." 
The  book  contained  the  laws  "as  revised  by 
Messrs.  John  Rice  Jones  and  John  Johnson,  and 
passed  (after  amendments)  by  the  Legislature," 


VIEW  OF  RIVER  FROM  FORT  KNOX 


•fee.  It  is  of  interest  to  note  that  among  the 
subjects  of  legislation  ait  this  early  date  was 
"the  Vincennes  library"  and  the  "Wabash  Bap- 
tist Church."  By  the  provisions  of  this  code 
the  death  penalty  was  attached  to  the  crimes  of 
treason,  murder,  arson  and  horse  stealing. 


VIXCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND  STORY 


53 


.Burglary  and  robbery  were  punishable  by  whip- 
ping, fine  or  imprisonment.  Larceny  was  pun- 
ishable by  fine  or  whipping  or  by  being  bound 
to  labor  for  a  term,  not  exceeding  seven  years; 
hog  stealing  by  tine  and  whipping;  bigamy,  by 
fine,  whipping  and  dist'ranchisement. 

Stringent  laws  were  also  in  force  for  the  pun- 
ishment of  children  and  servants  who  refused 
to  obey  parents  or  masters,  as  the  case 
might  be. 

By  act  of  Congress,  approved  March  26th, 
1804.  provision  was  made  for  the  disposal  of 
the  public  lands  through  land  offices,  of  which 
three  were  established.  That  at  Vincennes  was 
.in  charge  of  Mr.  John  Badollet,  as  register,  and 


Nathaniel  Ewiiig,  receiver.  Mr.  Badollet  who 
was  a  man  of  distinguished  ability  and  virtue 
and  subsequently  prominent  in  various  official 
capacities,  was  an  ancestor  of  our  esteemed 
townsman,  Mr.  Henry  S.  Badollet,  late  of  the 
Elephant  Shoe  Store. 

(Governor  Harrison  said  in  his  message  to  the 
Territorial  Legislature,  in  1806,  that  he  had 
had  assurances  from  all  the  Indian  tribes  with- 
in his  jurisdiction  that  they  would  "preserve 
inviolate  their  relations  of  'amity  with  the 
United  States,"  and  his  strong  sense  of  justice 
induced  him  to  add: 

"They  (the  Indians)  will  never  have  recourse 


to  arms— I  speak  of  those  in  our  immediate 
neighborhood— unless  driven  to  it  by  a  series 
of  injustice  and  oppression.  Of  this  they  al- 
ready begin  to  complain,  and  I  am  sorry  to  say 
that  their  complaints  are  far  from  being 
groundless.  It  is  true  that  the  general  govern- 
ment has  passed  laws  for  fulfilling,  not  only 
the  stipulations  contained  in  our  treaty,  but 
also  those  sublime  duties  which  a  just  sense  of 
our  prosperity  and  their  wretchedness  seem  to 
impose.  The  laws  of  the  territory  provide, 
also,  the  same  punishment  for  offenses  com- 
mitted against  Indians  as  against  white  men. 
Experience,  however,  shows  that  there  is  a 
wide  difference  in  the  execution  of  those  laws. 
The  Indian  always  suffers  and  the  white  man 
never.  This  partiality  has  not  escaped  their 
penetration,  and  has  afforded  them  an  oppor- 
tunity of  making  the  proudest  comparisons  be- 
tween their  own  observance  of  treaties  and  that 
of  their  boasted  superiors.  If,  in  your  review 
of  our  penal  code,  gentlemen,  any  regulation 
should  suggest  itself,  which  would  promise 
more  impartiality  in  the  execution  of  the  laws 
in  favor  of  those  unhappy  people,  the  adoption 
of  it  will  be  highly  acceptable  to  the  United 
States  and  honorable  to  yourselves.  But  should 
you  suppose  it  dangerous  to  make  any  discrim- 
ination in  their  favor,  I  pray  you  to  Igse  no  op- 
portunity of  inculcating,  among  your  constitu- 
ents, an  abhorrence  of  that  unchristian  and  de- 
testable doctrine  which  would  make  a  distinc- 
tion of  guilt  between  the  murder  of  a  white 
man  and  that  of  an  Indian." 

Writing  to  the  secretary  of  war,  Governor 
Harrison  recounts  a  complaint  of  an  old  In- 
dian chief  to  him.  "You  call  us  your  children." 
said,  he,  "Why  do  you  not  make  us  happy, 
as  our  fathers,  the  French,  did?  They  never 
took  from  us  our  lands;  indeed  they  were  in 
common  between  us.  They  planted  where  they 
pleased,  and  they  cut  wood  where  they 
pleased:  and  so  did  we.  But  now  if  a  poor  In- 
dian attempts  to  take  a  little  bark  from  a  tree 
to  cover  him  from  the  rain,  up  comes  a  white 
man  and  threatens  to  shoot  him,  claiming  the 
tree  as  his  own." 

CHAPTER  XII. 

INDIANS      BECOME      RESTLESS.— TECUM- 
SEH.— TIPPECANOE. 

The  encroachment  of  the  whites  upon  the 
lands  of  the  Indian,  their  invasion  of  his  hunt- 


54 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


ing  ground  and  frequent  killings  of  Indians  by 
the  whites,  many  who  looked  upon  the  killing 


Believed  to  be  a  Portrait  of  Tecumseh 

of  an  Indian  as  rather  a  praiseworthy  act  than 
a  crime,  could  have  but  one  effect  when  long 
continued,  that  of  rendering  the  Indians  dis- 
contented axid  restless.  They  saw  the  lands  of 
their  fathers  slipping  away  from  them  into  the 
grasp  of  a  people  whose  example  had  been  only 
one  of  cruel  and  contemptuous  oppression, 
whatever  might  have  been  their  precepts. 
Their  alarm  was  no  doubt  heightened  by  the 
activity  of  Governor  Harrison  in  inducing  the 
Indians  to  cede  their  lands  to  the  government, 
pursuant  to  his  instructions  from  Washington. 
In  the  course  of  a  very  few  years  they  had  thus 
parted  with  an  immense  domain  and  were  be- 
ing gradually  more  and  more  restricted.  To 
this  there  could  be  but  one  culmination,  from 
the  Indian's  point  of  view.  The  adoption  of 
the  civilized  mode  of  life,  and  dependence 


mainly  on  the  productions  of  the  ground  for 
his  sustenance  was  foreign  to  his  thought.  He- 
only  saw  himself  a  wanderer  on  the  face  of 
the  earth,  seeking  a  hunting  ground  in  the  do- 
main of  other  tribes  and  compelled  to  go  to- 
war  with  them  for  the  privilege.  The  wiser 
men  among  them  b(;gan  to  contemplate  these 
matters  with  a  growing  alarm,  which  was  fed. 
and  fostered  constantly  by  British  emissaries, 
who  looked  forward  to  the  aid  of  the  Indians 
in  the  war  that  every  one  felt  must  soon  come 
between  England  and  this  country. 

During  the  year  1806  the  famous  Shawanee 
chief,  Tecumseh,  and  his  brother,  Law-le-was-i- 
kaw  (the  loud  voice),  resided  at  the  Delaware- 
villages  on  the  west  fork  of  the  White  River, 
in  the  bounds  of  the  present  county  of  Dela- 
ware. Law-le-was-i-kaw  began  to  lay  claims  to- 


Harrison's  Conference  with  Tecumseh 

prophetic  powers  and  began  a  crusade  against: 
witchcraft,  the  use  of  intoxicating  liquors,  in- 


YINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


55 


terinarriage  of  Indian  women  with  the  whites, 
the  dress  and  habits  of  the  whites  and  the  sale 
of  Indian  lands.  He  soon  gathered  a  con- 
spicuous following  among  the  superstitious  In- 
dians, through  his  claims  of  direct  communi- 
cations from  the  Great  Spirit.  A  number  of 
Indians  were  at  his  instigation  put  to  death 
for  witchcraft.  Governor  Harrison,  becoming 
alarmed  at  the  machinations  and  growing  in- 
fluence of  the  Prophet,  early  in  1806  sent  a 
messenger  to  the  Indians  with  a  speech  strong- 
ly condemning  the  prophet,  who  had  a  short 
time  before,  with  his  immediate  followers,  in- 
cluding Tecumseh,  withdrawn  to  Greenville, 
Ohio.  Having  by  his  artful  practices  in  the 
course  of  the  next  two  years  fallen  under  the 
suspicion  of  the  people  and  officials  of  that 
vicinity,  in  the  spring  of  1808  he  removed  and 
settled  on  the  banks  of  the  Wabash  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Tippecanoe  River,  having  ob- 
tained permission  from  the  Potawatomies  and 

Photo  by  Todd 


that  the  treaties  by  which  the  United  States 
had  acquired  their  lands  were  unfair,  and 
therefore  void;  that  the  tribes  in  severalty 
could  not  alienate  their  lands  since  they  be- 
longed to  them  all  in  common,  and  that  he  and 
his  brother,  the  prophet,  would  resist  any 
further  attempts  on  the  part  of  the  whites  to 
extend  their  settlements  over  the  Indian  lands. 
There  is  no  evidence,  however,  that  he  advo- 
cated wrar. 

Early  in  1808,  Governor  Harrison  addressed 
a  speech  "to  the  chiefs  and  head  men  of  the 
Shawnee  tribe  of  Indians"'  as  follows:  "My 
children,  this  business  must  be  stopped.  I  will 
no  longer  suffer  it.  You  have  called  a  number 
of  men  from  the  most  distant  tribes  to  listen 
to  a  fool,  who  speaks  not  the  word  of  the 
Great  Spirit,  but  those  of  the  devil,  and  of  the 
British  agents.  My  children,  your  conduct  has 
much  alarmed  the  white  settlers  near  you. 
They  desire  that  you  will  send  away  those  peo- 


A  BARNYARD  SCENE  NEAR  VINCENNES 


Kickapoos.  This  place  was  afterwards  known 
as  Prophet's  Town.  The  growing  fame  of  the 
prophet  among  the  tribes  of  th'>  northwestern 
part  of  the  territory  opened  their  ears  to  the 
solicitations  of  Tecumseh,  who  was  actively 
engaged  in  an  effort  to  form  these  tribes  into  a 
great  confederacy  for  their  mutual  protection 
against  the  encroachments  of  the  whites.  In 
his  speeches  at  their  council  fires  be  claimed 


pie.  And  if  they  wish  to  have  the  imposter 
with  them,  they  can  carry  him.  Let  him  go  to 
the  lakes;  he  can  hear  the  British  more  dis- 
tinctly." The  prophet's  reply,  sent  by  the  same 
messenger,  was  a  model  of  self  restraint  and 
apparent  candor,  while  he  specifically  denied 
the  allegations  of  the  governor.  Later  the 
prophet  sent  another  messenger  to  the  governor 
protesting  that  his  followers  desired  to  live  in 


56 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND   STORY 


peace  with  the  white  people.  At  the  confer- 
ence with  the  governor  this  messenger  said: 
"I  have  now  listened  to  that  man  (the  prophet) 
upward  of  three  years,  and  have  never  heard 
him  give  any  but  good  advice.  He  tells  us 
that  we  must  pray  to  the  Great  Spirit,  who 
made  the  world  and  everything  in  it  for  our 
use.  He  tells  us  that  no  man  could  make  the 
plants,  the  trees  and  the  animals;  but  that 
they  must  be  made  by  the  Great  Spirit  to  whom 
we  ought  to  pray,  and  obey  in  all  things.  He 
tells  us  not  to  lie,  to  steal  or  to  drink  whisky; 
not  to  go  to  war,  but  to  live  in  peace  with  all 
mankind.  He  tells  us,  also,  to  work  and  make 
corn." 


year,  however,  put  an  end  to  his  efforts  in  that 
direction,  and  it  is  not  known  that  any  citizens 
of  Vincenues  actually  took  any  steps  toward 
joining  him.  The  unsettled  state  of  the  land 
claims  in  the  Northwestern  Territory,  and 
the  vast  number  of  speculative  and  fraudulent 
claims,  induced  Congress,  in  1804,  to  establish 
boards  of  commissioners  to  inquire  into  their 
validity.  Before  the  close  of  the  year  1810  these 
boards  had  severally  examined  and  confirmed  a 
large  number  of  valid  and  just  claims  and  re- 
jected a  large  number  of  ilfegal  and  fraudulent 
claims.  In  one  instance  a  single  perjurer,  "fond 
of  liquor,"  had  made  depositions  in  favor  of  a 


In  the  month  of 
August  the  prophet 
himself  visited  Vin- 
cennes  and  remained 
ten  days,  holding 
conferences  with  the 
governor.  These  in- 
terviews seem  to 
have  modified,  in 
aome  degree,  at 
least,  the  opinions 
the  governor  had 
previously  held  as 
to  the  honesty  and 
good  faith  of  the 
prophet  But  later 
inf  ormation,  ob- 
tained from  various 


Photo  bv  Shores 


THE 


sources,  confirmed  his  former  impressions  that 
in  the  prophet  and  Tecumseh  he  had  to  deal 
with  very  dangerous  persons,  who  were  under 
the  influence  of  British  agents.  A  second  visit 
of  the  prophet  did  not  remove  his  suspicions. 

The  governor  continued  his  policy  of  making 
treaties  with  the  various  nations  by  wrhich 
their  lands  were  ceded  to  the  United  States  and 
in  this  he  met  the  constant  opposition  of  Te- 
cumseh and  the  prophet.  The  former  plainly 
told  the  governor  in  an  interview  at  Vincenues 
that  he  would  resist  any  attempt  that  should 
be  made  to  survey  these  concessions. 

Some  time  during1  the  year  1806  or  1807, 
Aaron  Burr  is  said  to  have  visited  the.  town  of 
Vincennes  in  the  interest  of  his  conspiracy  to 
establish  an  empire  in  the  Southwest  and  to 
have  enrolled  some  of  its  inhabitants  among 
his  followers.  His  arrest  early  in  the  latter 


W  ABASH  AT  HIGH  TIDE 

few  claimants  to  the  number  of  two  hundred. 
This  man  made  oath  in  court,  in  the  presence 
of  the  commissioners,  to  the  falsity  of  his  pre- 
vious depositions. 

In  the  districts  of  Kaskaskia  and  Vincennes 
many  of  the  inhabitants  who  had  received  do- 
nations of  lattd  from  the  government,  sold  their 
lands  to  speculators  at  the  rate  of  about  thirty 
cents  per  acre,  and  in  many  instances,  so  little 
were  they  capable  of  managing  their  affairs, 
they  accepted  in  payment  various  kinds  of  un- 
profitable merchandise  at  exorbitant  prices. 

As  early  as  the  year  1860  "the  common"  at 
Vincennes,  containing  about  5,400  acres,  was 
enclosed  by  a  fence  for  the  confinement  of  cat- 
tle, the  usage  of  the  French  settlers  being  to 
keep  their  cattle  within  this  inclosure  and  to 
leave  their  cultivated  fields  unfenced.  By  act 
of  Congress  of  March  3,  1791,  the  inhabitants  of 


VIXCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND   STORY 


57 


Vincennes  were  au- 
thorized to  use  this 
large  common  "until 
otherwise  disposed 
of  by  law."  By  act 
of  April  20,  1818,  the 
trustees  of  Vin- 
cennes were  author- 
ized to  divide  the 
"common"  into  lots 
and  to  sell  such  lots, 
applying  the  pro- 
ceeds, so  far  as 
necessary,  to  the 
drainage  of  a  pond 
in  the  vicinity  of  the 
town,  the  residue  to 
be  paid  to  the  trus- 
tees of  Vincennes 
University. 

On  account  of  the 
wide  extent  of  "wil- 
d  e  r  n  e  s  s  country" 
which  separated 
the  various  settle- 
ments within  the  im- 
mense territory,  the 

Pholo  by  Shores 


Photo  by  Shores 


B.  &  O.  GRAVEL  PIT.     Site  of  a  hill  35  feet  high,  now  a  lake  25  feet  deep 


question  of  a  divi- 
sion of  the  Indian 
territory  began  to  be 
agitated  as  early  as 
1806.  The  hardships 
and  dangers,  coupled 
with  the  attendance 
of  parties  and  wit- 
nesses  upon  the 
courts,  and  the  diffi- 
culty of  executing 
the  laws  in  the  dis- 
tant sections  were 
among  the  most  po- 
tent reasons  urged 
therefor.  The  divi- 
sion was  effected  by 
an  act  of  Congress  of 
February  3,  1809, 
which  gave  to  the 
territory  practically 
the  present  bound- 
aries of  the  state  of 
Indiana.  In  1808  the 
white  population  of 
Indiana  Territory 
was  estimated  at  28,- 
000,  of  whom  11,000 


VINCENNES  RIVER  FRONT 


58 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


were     westward    of 
the  Wabash. 

The  act  of  1809,  by 
which  the  division 
was  effected,  pro- 
vided that  the  Gen- 
eral  Assembly 
should  apportion,  the 
members  of  the 
House  of  Represent- 
atives to  consist  of 
not  less  than  nine 
nor  more  than 
twelve,"  &c.  Appar- 
ently the  fact  was 
overlooked  by  Con- 
gress that  there  was 
no  Legislature  In  ex- 
istence and  could  be 
none  until  an  elec- 
tion should  be  held, 
and.  that  an  appor- 
tionment  would 
seem  to  be  a  pre-re- 
quisite  to  the  hold- 
ing of  such  an  elec- 
tion. Six  days  be- 
fore he  had  notice  of 

Photo  ty  Shores 


T'h'vo  by  Shors 


VIEW  IN  CITY  CEMETERY 


VIEW  OF  WABASH  -South  of  City 


the  law  dividing  the- 
territory,  Governor 
Harrison  had  issued 
writs  for  an  election 
of  members  of  the 
Legislature.  This 
Legislature  met  at 
Vincennes  in  the  fol- 
lowing  November, 
but  not  being  coni- 
stituted  and  elected 
according  to  the  new 
law,  conceived  that 
it  was  not  authorized 
to  proceed  with  leg- 
islation. The  neces- 
sities of  the  situa- 
tion, however,  in- 
duced the  Legisla- 
ture to  proceed  with 
the  apportionment 
and  to  memorialize 
Congress  to  legalize 
the  same.  This  done, 
the  legislature  was, 
at  its  own  request,, 
prorogued  by  Gov- 


VINCEN'NES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


59' 


Mrs.  W.  J.  Hiskey's  Boarding  House,  Fifth  and  Church 


ernor  Harrison.. 
On  May  22,  1809, 
an  election  for  dele- 
gate to  Congress  was- 
held,  the  chief  con- 
testants being  Jona- 
than Jennings,  a  na- 
tive of  Pennsylvania 
and  an  anti-slavery 
man,  and  Thomas 
Randolph,  a  pro- 
slavery  man,  from 
Virginia.  The  for- 
mer received  428  and 
the  latter  402  votes. 
In  Knox  County- 
eighty-one  v  o  t  e  & 
were  cast  for  John- 
Johnson,  the  total 
vote  of  the  territory 
being  911. 

According  to  the 
census  of  1810,  the 
total  white  popula- 
tion of  the  territory 
was  24,520.  Other 
statistics  taken  at 
that  time  showed 


Cottage  Residences  of  W.  S.  Racey  and  T.  F.  Palfry 


VINCEXNES   IN  PICTURE   AND   STORY 


that  there  were  within  its  boundaries  33  grist 
mills,  14  saw  mills,  3  horse  mills,  18  tanneries, 
28  distilleries,  3  powder  mills,  1,256  looms,  and 
1,350  spinning  wheels.  The  value  of  all  manu- 
factures was  as  follows:  Cotton,  woolen,  hemp- 
en and  flaxen  cloths  and  mixtures,  $159,052; 
cotton  and  wool,  spun  in  mills,  $150(?);  nails 
(20,000  pounds)  $4,000;  leather,  $9,300;  distilled 
spirits  (35,000  gal- 
lons), $16,230;  gun- 
powder (3,600  IDS.). 
$1,800;  wine  from 
grapes  (96  bbls.),  $6,- 
000;  maple  sugar  (50,- 
000  Ibs.),  value  not 
stated. 

The  year  1810  was 
one  of  great  anxiety 
to  the  governor  and 
inhabitants  of  Indi- 
ana Territory  on  ac- 
count of  the  activity 
of  Tecumseh  and  the 
prophet,  in  their  ef- 
forts to  unite  the  In- 
dians against  the 
policy  of  the  whites. 
During  the  summer 
a  number  of  horses 
were  stolen  from 
settlers  in  the  north- 
ern part  of  Knox 
•county  on  White 

River  and  other  depredations  committed.  It 
was  the  constant  effort  of  Governor  Harrison  to 
defeat  the  hostile  designs  of  the  prophet  and 
his  brother  and  to  that  end  he  sent  many  mes- 
sengers to  them,  among  the  men  thus  employed 
being  a  number  of  the  most  prominent  in  the 
territory,  including  Colonel  Francis  Vigo,  Tou- 
sant  Dubois,  Joseph  Barroni,  Pierre  and  Wni. 
Prince.  These  were  sent  to  the  Delawares  and 
Mia  mis  with  assurances  of  the  friendship  and 
protection  of  the  United  States,  and  warnings 
of  the  danger  of  encouraging  the  prophet. 

In  May  a  meeting  was  held  by  chiefs  of  the 
Potawatomies,  Chippewas  and  Ottawas,  at  a 
place  called  the  Cow  Pasture,  on  the  banks  of 
the  St.  Joseph  River  near  Lake  Michigan.  At 
the  suggestion  of  Governor  Harrison',  the  Dela- 
wares sent  deputies  to  this  meeting  and  their 
presence  and  remonstrances  prevented  the 
others  from  placing  themselves  at  the  feet  of 
the  prophet.  At  this  time  it  was  believed  there 


were  with  the  prophet  about  600  warriors. 
The  attitude  of  the  prophet's  followers  grew 
more  and  more  arrogant  as  their  numbers  in- 
creased. In  the  spring  of  this  year  they  de- 
clined to  receive  their  "annuities  of  salt"  from 
the  boatmen  who  attempted  to  deliver  it,  and 
treated  them  with  contempt  and  great  rude- 
ness. 


OLD  RESIDENCE  MR.  JOHN  WISE— Built  by  Judge  Parke,  1804 

Governor  Harrison  continued  to  send  mes- 
sages of  warning  to  the  prophet,  but  to  no  ef- 
fect. Finally,  in  July,  he  sent  a  letter  to  the 
prophet  endeavoring  to  convince  him  of  his  fol- 
ly and  offering  to  send  him  and  three  chiefs  of 
his  own  selection  to  Washington  to  see  the 
President,  if  he  would  prefer  to  make  his  com- 
plaint there.  Mr.  Barron.  the  bearer  of  this 
letter,  was  received  ini  a  cold  and  haughty,  even 
threatening,  manner,  and  accused  of  being  a 
spy.  Mr.  Barron  received  no  definite  answer, 
but  was  informed  that  Tecumseh  would  go  to 
Vincennes  in  a  few  days  and  hold  a  conference 
with  the  governor. 

Accordingly,  on  the  12th  of  August,  the  noted 
chief  appeared  at  the  head  of  seventy-five 
armed  warriors  and  from  that  date  till  the  22d 
was  almost  constantly  before  the  governor. 
Tecumseh  had  made  a  number  of  speeches,  but 
none  was  preserved  until  that  of  the  20th,  when 
Governor  Harrison  directed  his  interpreter  to 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


61 


take  it  down  in  writing.  In  this  speech  the 
chief  complains  of  the  sale  of  lands  to  the 
whites  by  the  petty  chiefs  to  whom  he  denies 
authority  thereto.  He  claims  that  he  himself 
is  supreme  and  that  unless  the  lands  are  re- 
stored a  counsel  will  be  held  soon  and  these 
recreant  chiefs  will  all  be  condemned  to  death, 
and  charges  that  the  governor  will  be  accessory 
to  their  murder.  Ins  this  arrogant  strain  he 

fhoto  by  Totvnsley 


RESIDENCE  B.  KUHN,  306 
continues  at  length. 

At  the  conclusion  of  this  speech  the  governor 
arose  to  reply  and  when  speaking  of  the  exact 
justice  and  paternal  care  with  which  the 
United  States  had  always  dealt  with  the  vari- 
ous 'tribes  he  was  suddenly  interrupted  by  Te- 
cumseh,  who  jumped  to  his  feet,  jesticulating 


wildly,  and  denounced  as  false  the  allegations 
of  the  governor.* 

The  braves  with  him  jumped  to  their  feet 
and  assumed  a  defiant  attitude.  The  governor, 
not  being  acquainted  with  the  language,  did' 
not  know  what  had  been  said,  but  the  secre- 
tary of  the  territory,  General  Gibson,  under- 
standing, and  anticipating  possible  trouble,  di- 
rected a  guard  of  twelve  men,  who  were  at  a 
little  distance,  to 
stand  to  their  arms. 
It  looked  very 
stormy  for  a  mo- 
ment. When  the  gov- 
ernor heard  the  in- 
terpretation of  the 
language  he  in- 
formed Tecumseh 
that  he  would  no 
longer  treat  with 
him  and  ordered 
him  to  depart  to  his 
camp.  He  was  in- 
formed that  the  gov- 
ernor would  commu- 
nicate with  the 
tribes  by  letter  on 
the  subject  of  the 
lands  recently  pur- 
chased and  that  if 
Tecumseh  had  any- 
thing further  to  com- 
municate he  should 
send  the  Huron  or 

N-  Fourth  some     other     chief. 

This  interview  was  held  under  some  large  trees 
which  stood  near  the  governor's  residence,  now 
corner  Park  and  Scott  Streets. 

During  the  night  Tecumseh  realized  that  he 
had  made  a  mistake  and  when  visited  by  the 
interpreter  in  the  morning  he  begged  another 
interview  with  the  governor  and  protested  that 


*It  was  related  by  Mr.  Felix  Bouchie,  an  old  gentleman  of  wonderful  memory,  who  died  in  Vincennes 
in  1897,  after  having  spent  his  entire  life  of  eighty  years  here,  that  on  this  occasion  Tecumseh  asked 
for  a  bench.  Gen.  Harrison  asked  through  the  interpreter  for  what  he  wanted  it.  Tecumseh  replied 
that  he  desired  to  sit  by  the  General.  No  bench  being  obtainable  elsewhere,  Gen.  Harrison,  disposed  to 
humor  the  great  chief,  sent  to  St.  Xavier  Church  and  secured  one  of  the  puncheon  benches  in  use 
there.  When  the  General  and  chieftain  took  their  seats  on  the  bench,  the  latter  sat  very  close  to  Gen. 
Harrison,  in  fact  forcing  the  General  to  move.  Tecumseh  promptly  followed  him  up  and  again 
crowded  him.  Again  the  General  moved,  only  again  to  be  Crowded.  Finally,  reaching  the  end  of  the 
bench,  Gen.  Harrison  said  to  the  interpreter:  "Tell  him  he  is  about  to  crowd  me  off."  This  appeared 
to  be  the  protest  for  which  Tecumseh  was  looking,  and  which  gave  him  the  opportunity  to  enforce  his 
points.  "Ugh!  Ugh!"  said  he,  "Ask  the  big  man  how  he  would  like  me  to  crowd  him  clear  off.  Ask 
him  how  he  would  like  me  to  crowd  him  out  of  the  country,  as  he  is  crowding  me  and  my  people.  Tell 
him  we  were  once  to  the  sea  on  the  east,  but  we  have  been  crowded  back  and  off.  Tell  him  that  all  the 
earth  ,the  hills  and  the  valleys,  the  forest  and  the  streams  and  the  fullness  thereof  were  ours  one  time, 
but  now  the  paleface  has  crowded  us  back  till  only  the  space  to  the  setting  sun  is  ours."  Gen.  Harrison 
protested  that  the  whites  had  dealt  fairly  and  honestly  with  the  Indians,  and  here  it  was,  according  to 
Mr.  Bouchie,  that  Tecumseh  lost  his  temper  and  gave  the  lie  to  the  General. 


62 


V1NCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


lie  had  meant  no  harm  by  his  conduct  of  the 
day  before,  and  that  he  wished  to  reach  an 
amicable  settlement.  He  said,  also,  that  he 
liad  probably  been  deceived  by  white  people, 
who  told  him  that  only  half  the  whites  were 
with  the  governor  and  that  the  remainder  were 
friendly  to  the  claims  of  the  Indians,  etc.,  etc. 

Governor  Harrison  consented  to  meet  him 
again,  and  at  this  meeting,  on  the  21st,  his 
manner  had  entirely  changed.  He  was  digni- 
fied and  respectful  in  manner  and  repeated  to 
General  Harrison  what  he  had  before  said  to 
the  interpreter,  Mr.  Barren.  When  the  gov- 
ernor asked  him  whether  the  Indians  would  in- 
terfere with  surveyors  who  might  attempt  to 
run  the  lines  of  recent  purchases,  he  made  it 
pretty  plain  that  they  would  be  in  dangerous 
business. 

The  next  day  Governor  Harrison,  with  his  in- 
terpreter, visited  the  camp  of  Tecumseh.  In 
the  course  of  the  interview  Tecumseh  repeated 


Knox  County  Orphan's  Home,  Fairgrounds  Avenue 


his  former  claims  and  when  told  bjr  the  gov- 
ernor that  his  pretensions  would  not  be 
acknowledged  by  the  president,  he  threw  down 
the  gauntlet  in  the  following  language: 

"Well,  as  the  Great  Chief  is  to  determine  the 
matter,  I  hope  the  Great  Spirit  will  put  sense 
enough  into  his  head  to  induce  him  to  direct 
you  to  give  us  this  land.  It  is  true  he  is  so  far 


off  he  will  not  be  injured  by  the  war.  He  may 
sit  still  in  his  own  town  and  drink  his  wine, 
while  you  and  I  will  have  to  fight  it  out." 

Soon  after  this  famous  conference  between 
Governor  Harrison  and  Tecumseh  a  small  de- 
tachment of  troops  was  ordered  to  move  from 
Newport,  Kentucky,  to  Vincennes.  These 
troops,  with  three  companies  of  militia  and  a 
company  of  Knox  County  dragoons,  were  held 
in  readiness  to  march  into  the  disputed  terri- 
tory and  build  a  fort  on  the  bank  of  the  Wa- 
bash  near  the  northern  boundary  of  the  land, 
which  was  north  of  the  present  site  of  Terre 
Haute.  This  was  laud  that  had  been  acquired 
by  the  treaty  of  Fort  Wayne  in  1809.  The  fort 
was  not  built,  however,  until  the  next  year, 
though  a  surveyor  of  the  name  of  McDonald 
undertook  to  make  the  survey  in  October,  1810. 
While  these  momentous  events  were  trans- 
piring at  the  Capital,  an  election  for  members 
of  the  Legislature  had  been  held  in  the  terri- 
tory on  April  2,  1810, 
pursuant  to  a  proc- 
lamation of  the  gov- 
ernor. In  further 
compliance  with  the 
proclani  a  t  i  o  n  the 
body  met  at  Vin- 
cenues  on  the  12th  of 
November  in  the 
same  year.  Of  this 
body  the  Knox 
County  members 
were  Walter  Wilson 
and  William  Jones 
of  the  Council  and 
General  Washington 
Johnston,  Peter 
Jones  and  John  Cald- 
well  of  the  House. 

In  his  message  to 
the  legislature  at  the 
opening  of  the  ses- 
sion, Governor  Har- 
rison called  attention 
to  the  threatening 

attitude  of  the  Indians  and  the  dangerous 
views  some  of  them  entertained  with  reference 
to  the  lands.  At  the  same  time  he  dwelt  at 
length  on  the  necessity  of  rapid  extinction  of 
the  Indian  title  to  lands- not  only  for  the  benefit 
of  the  whites,  but  likewise  of  the  Indians  them- 
selves, as  tending  to  lead  them  into  civilized 
modes  of  life,  on  the  growing  scarcity  of  game. 


VIXCEXXES  IX  PICTURE  AND   STORY 


63 


Ou  the  subject  of  education  the  governor  urged 
the  propriety  of  making  a  military  education 
compulsory  in  both  the  common  schools  and  the 
higher  institutions  of  learning.  Said  he:  "Let 
the  masters  of  the  Inferior  schools  be  obliged 
to  qualify  themselves  and  instruct  their  pupils 
in  the  military  evolutions,  while  the  university, 
in  addition  to  the  exercises,  may  have  attached 
to  it  a  professorship 
of  tactics,  in  which 
all  the  sciences  con- 
nected with  the  art 
of  war  may  be 
taught"  He  dwelt 
at  considerable 
length  on  the 
obvious  advantages 
and  the  small  cost  of 
the  innovation. 

The  Legislature 
continued  in  session 
thirty-eight  days  and 
passed  no  less  than 
sixty-three  acts. 
Among  these  was 
one  authorizing  the 
president  and  direct- 
ors of  the  Vincennes 
Library  to  raise  the 
sum  of  $1,000  by  lot- 
tery. At  this  session 
also  a  petition  to 
Congress  was  pre- 


murdered  by  whites,  added  fuel  to  the  smoul- 
dering wrath  of  both  the  savages  and  the  set- 
tlers. The  prophet  caused  the  seizure  of  some 
"annuity  salt"  that  was  being  sent  to  some 
northern  tribes  of  Indians,  sending  word  to  the 
governor  "riot  to  be  angry  at  his  seizing  the 
salt,  as  he  had  got  none  last  year  and  had  more 
than  two  thousand  men  to  feed." 


Residence  Charles  Bierhaus,  424  N.  Sixth 


pared  asking  permission  to  locate  a  certain 
quantity  of  lauds  "lying  on  the  main  fork  of 
White  River"  for  a  permanent  seat  of  govern- 
ment; and  by  an  act  of  the  General  Assembly, 
a  commission  was  appointed  to  select  a  site  for 
the  new  capital. 

Governor  Harrison  continued  his  efforts  to 
break  up  the  confederacy  of  the  northern  tribes, 
but  the  activity  of  the  British  agents,  who  be- 
lieved that  a  war  was  approaching  between 
England  and  America  and  were  determined  to 
secure  the  friendship  of  the  Indians,  rendered 
his  efforts  in  a  measure  abortive.  While  the 
governor  was  instructed  to  preserve  the  pacific 
relations  with  the  Indians,  if  possible,  the  secre- 
tary of  war  intimated  that  "the  surest  means 
of  securing  good  behavior  from  the  prophet  and 
Tecumseh  would  be  to  make  them  prisoners." 

During  the  spring  and  summer  of  1811  a  num- 
ber of  murders  were  committed  by  roving 
bands  of  Indians,  and  some  isolated  Indians 


Governor  Harrison  sent  Captain  Wilson  with 
a  speech  addressed  to  the  prophet  and  Tecum- 
seh in  which  he  recounted  information  he  had 
received  from  various  sources  as  to  the  sinister 
designs  of  the  conspirators,  demanding  satis- 
faction for  the  seizure  of  the  salt,  suggesting 
that  the  surest  means  of  establishing  the  purity 
of  their  motives  would  be  to  visit  the  president 
and  lay  their  grievances  before  him,  renewing 
his  offer  to  provide  them  means  for  the  jour- 
ney, and  informing  Tecumseh  that  his  pro- 
posed visit  to  Vincennes  at  the  head  of  a  large 
body  of  men  would  be  taken  as  an  unfriendly 
act.  Tecumseh  replied  in  a  short  written  letter 
saying  he  would  visit  Vincennes  within  eighteen 
days  and  that  then  all  the  matters  would  be 
settled. 

On  the  27th  of  July  Tecumseh  came  to  Vin- 
cennes at  the  head  of  a  body  of  about  300  In- 
dians. Suspecting  his  designs,  Governor  Har- 
rison took  pains  to  have  at  hand  a  military 


64 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND   STORY 


force  of  700  or  800  men,  and  if  Tecumseh  had 
any  ulterior  intentions  they  were  not  developed. 
He  remained  several  days.  He  still  professed 
a  desire  to  be  at  peace  with  the  whites,  but  con- 
tinued to  maintain  the  same  attitude  with  ref- 
erence to  the  sale  of  the  Indian  lands;  said  he 
was  going*  to  visit  the  Southern  Indians,  the 
Creeks,  Chickasaws  and  Choctaws,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  uniting  them  in  his  proposed  confed- 
eracy. He  said  he  would  on  his  return  visit 
Washington  and  that  everything  would  be  satis- 
factorily adjusted.  After  the  conference  he  de- 
parted southward  with  about  twenty  followers. 
On  July  31,  1811,  a  public  meeting  was  held 
at  Vincennes  for  the  purpose  of  declaring  by 
resolutions  the  danger  td  which  the  white  in^ 
habitants  were  exposed  and  also  to  petition  the 
President  to  disperse  the  prophet's  band  of  hos- 
tile Indians.  Already,  however,  had  the  Presi- 
dent, on  the  17th,  instructed  the  secretary  of 
war  to  authorize  Governor  Harrison  to  call  out 

Photo  by  Toii>nsley 


House  in  which  Territorial  Legislature  Met 

the  territorial  militia  and  if  circumstances  re- 
quired, attack  the  prophet  and  his  followers. 
He  was  also  authorized  to  call  to  his  aid  the 
fourth  U.  S.  infantry,  then  stationed  at  the 
falls  of  the  Ohio. 

The  governor  promptly  gave  orders  to  Colonel 
Boyd  to  move  with  his  regiment  to  Vincennes, 
where  it  was  joined  by  the  militia  and  the 


garrison  of  Fort  Knox.  In  accordance  with  the 
earnestly  expressed  desire  of  the  government  to 
preserve  the  peace  with  the  Northwestern  Indi- 
ans, the  governor  dispatched,  by  special  messen- 
gers, written  speeches  to  the  various  tribes  with- 
in his  territory,  requiring  them  to  "fulfill  the  con- 
ditions of  their  treaties  with  the  United  States, 
to  avoid  all  acts  of  hostility  to  the  whites  and 
to  make  a  positive  disavowal  of  union  or  con- 
nection with  the  Shawanee  prophet." 

On  the  25th  of  September,  a  little  before  the 
governor  was  ready  to  move  on  his  expedition 
against  the  prophet,  a  deputation  arrived  from 
the  prophet  with  protestations  of  peace,  and  de- 
claring the  willingness  of  the  Indians  to  com- 
ply with  the  governor's  demands. 

Governor  Harrison's  little  army,  about  1,000 
strong,  moved  northward  on  the  26th  of 
September.  On  the  3d  of  October,  without  in- 
cident, it  arrived  at  a  point  about  two  miles 
north  of  where  Terre  Haute  now  stands.  It 
then  went  into  camp 
and  inline  di  a  t  e  1  y 
made  preparations  to 
build  a  fort,  which, 
when  completed,  on 
the  28th  of  October, 
was  named,  by  the 
unanimous  vote  of 
the  officers.  "Fort 
Harrison."  While  en- 
gaged here  Governor 
Harrison  received 
visits  from  friendly 
Indians,  who  told 
him  of  the  growing 
hostility  of  the 
prophet  and  his 
motley  horde  of  fol- 
lowers. The  Dela- 
wares  reported  that 
he  had  sent  a  "war 
speech"  to  some  of 
the  chiefs  of  their 
tribe,  who  were  on 
their  way  to  meet 

the  governor  at  his  request.  In  this  speech  he 
declared  his  tomahawk  was  up  against  the 
whites,  etc.,  etc.  Some  of  the  Delaware  chiefs 
visited  the  prophet  and  endeavored  to  dissuade 
him  from  his  purpose. 

Leaving  a  small  garrison  under  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  James  Miller,  at  Fort  Harrison,  the 
governor  proceeded  on  his  march  toward  the 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


65 


prophet's  town,  on  the  29th  of  October.  On  the 
31st  they  crossed  the  Wabash  near  the  site  of 
the  present  town  of  Montezuma,  in  .farke 
County.  At  this  time  the  governor's  force 
amounted  to  910  men,  of  whom  two  hundred 
and  fifty  were  regulars,  under  command  of 
Colonel  Boyd;  sixty  volunteers,  from  Kentucky, 
ami  six  hundred  citizens  of  the  territory,  largely 
from  Knox  County.  Among  the  volunteers 
were  a  number  who  had  gained  distinction  in 
Kentucky  and  held  high  commands,  who  here 
served  as  privates.  Major- General  Samuel 
Wells,  of  Kentucky,  became  a  plain  major  in 
the  governors  little  urmy  and  in  the  battle  did 
not  fail  to  sustain  a  well-earned  fame  as  an 
Indian  fighter. 

On  the  2d  of  November  a  block  house  was 
built  about  two  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the 
Big  Vermillion  River,  and  a  sergeant  and  eight 
men  detailed  to  protect  the  boats,  which  had 
thus  far  transported  the  provisions. 


Residence  Mrs.  J.  H.  Rabb,  524  Broadway 

Resuming  the  march  on  the  morning  of  the 
3d,  and  leaving  the  Wabash,  keeping  the 
prairie  lands  in  the  general  direction  of  the 
river,  the  army  cnme  in  view  of  the  prophet's 
town  on  the  afternoon  of  the  6th  of  November. 
Various  things  had  occurred  during  the  day  to 
convince  Governor  Harrison  of  the  hostility  of 
the  Indians  and  he  proceeded  with  great  cau- 


tion. As  they  approached  the  prophet's  town 
messengers  came  out  to  meet  them  and  desired 
to  speak  to  the  governor.  He  recognized  in  one 
a  chief  high  in  the  confidence  of  the  prophet, 
and  accorded  him,  an  interview,  '.these  men 
said  the  chiefs  were  greatly  surprised  at  his  ap- 
proach in  battle  array.  The  governor  replied 
that  he  did  not  intend  to  attack  them  until 
satisfied  that  they  would  not  comply  with  the 
demands  he  had  made.  They  claimed  that  a 
message  had  been  two  days  before  sent  him  by 
the  friendly  Potawatamie  chief,  Win-a-mac,  etc. 
The  governor  said  he  would  go  and  camp  on 
the  Wabash  and  in  the  morning  would  have  an 
interview  with  the  prophet  and  his  chief.  It 
was  agreed  „  on  both  sides  that  no  hostilities 
should  in  the  meantime  be  committed. 

Not  finding  a  suitable  camping  ground,  the 
gov  trnor  continued  his  march  till  he  approached 
very  niear  the  village,  when  he  was  again  met 
by  the  prophet's  messengers,  after  having  been 
interrupted  by  a  vio- 
lent demonstration 
on  the  part  of  a 
body  of  Indians.  The 
governor  explained 
that  he  had  not 
found  a  suitable 
camping  ground  on 
the  Wabash,  as  he 
had  expected,  and 
asked  the  Indian  if 
he  could  direct  him 
to  one.  He  was  di- 
rected to  "a  creek  to 
the  northwest."  Hav- 
ing had  the  place  ex- 
amined by  some  of 
his  officers  and  re- 
ceiving a  favorable 
report,  the  army  was 
marched  to  the 
point  and  went  into 
camp. 

Governor  Harrison 
was    not    altogether 


pleased  with  the  location,  finding  it  dry  and 
high  enough  but  almost  surrounded  by  marshes, 
whose  willow  growth  would  form  an  excellent 
screen  for  the  savage  foe.  However,  he  de- 
cided to  make  the  most  of  a  bad  bargain,  and, 
taking  every  possible  precaution  against  sur- 
prise, went  into  camp.  The  men  were  disposed 
to  the  best  advantage  for  repelling  a  night  at- 


66 


VIXCEXXES  IX   PICTURE   AXD   STORY 


tack,  should  one  be  made,  and  were  instructed 
to  sleep  with  their  clothing  and  accountrements 
on,  with  firearms  loaded  and  bayonets  fixed. 

Notwithstanding  the  great  caution  taken  to 
avoid  -surprise,  and  the  strong  guards  that  were 
posted,  it  is  not  believed  that  the  commanding 
officers  expected  that  an  attack  would  be  made 
that  night.  It  came,  however,  after  the  Indian 
fa  shion,  about  two 
hours  before  sunrise 
on  the  morning  of 
the  7th  of  November. 
Although  the  gov- 
ernor says  he  had 
risen,  at  a  quarter 
past  four  o'clock, 
and  in  two  minutes 
more  would  have 
given  the  signal  for 
calling  out  the  men, 
so  sudden  was  the 
attack  that  many  In- 
dians were  in  the 
camp  before  they 
were  dis  covered. 
The  attack  was 
made  from  all  sides 
by  a  force  of  Indians 
variously  estimated 
at  from  350  to  1,000. 
and  nothing  but  the 
most  intrepid  valor 
on  the  part  of  both 


minority.  Many  more  officers  were  among  the 
wounded.  The  loss  of  the  Indians  was  believed 
to  be  at  least  as  great  as  that  of  the  whites, 
as  thirty-eight  dead  were  left  on  the  field  of 
battle.  During  the  battle  the  prophet  encour- 
aged his  followers,  who  were  composed  of 
small  numbers  from  various  tribes,  as  the 
Shawanees,  Wyandots,  KIckapoos  Ottawas. 


Cottage  Residence  V  Schoenfeld  617  Busseron 


officers  and  men,  could  have  saved  the  day. 
In  his  report  of  the  action  the  governor  says: 
"Under  these  discouraginig  circumstances  the 
troops  (nineteen-twentieths  of  whom  had  never 
been  under  fire  before)  behaved  in  a  manner 
that  can  never  be  too  much  applauded.  They 
took  their  positions  without  noise  and  with  less 
confusion  than  could  have  been  expected  of 
veterans  placed  in  a  similar  position."  The  bat- 
tle raged  hotly  until  after  daylight,  which  en- 
abled the  governor's  command  effectively  to 
charge  and  dislodge  the  Indians,  who  were 
driven  to  precipitate  flight. 

The  victory  was  purchased,  however,  at  no 
small  cost,  the  loss  In  killed  amounting  to  thir- 
ty-seven, while  the  wounded  aggregated  151,  of 
whom  twenty-five  died  of  their  wounnds. 
Among  the  killed  and  mortally  wounded  were 
three  colonels,  three  captains,  two  lieutenants 
'  and  Thomas  Randolph,  Esq.,  who  had  recently 
been  defeated  for  Congress  by  a  very  small 


Chippewas,  Potawatamies,  Winnebagoes,  Sacs 
and  a  few  Miamis.  He  stood  on  a  small  eleva- 
tion near  the  battle  ground  chanting  a  war 
song  in  an  exceptionally  loud  voice.  He  told 
his  followers  they  would  gain  an  easy  victory, 
that  the  bullets  of  the  Americans  would  be  ren- 
dered harmle>s.  When  told  that  some  of  the 
Indians  had  been  killed  he  still  encouraged 
them  to  continue  the  fight,  saying  they  would 
soon  be  victorious.  After  the  battle  his  fol- 
lowers, having  lost  faith  in  him,  almost  all 
dispersed  and  rejoined  their  various  tribes. 

The  deserted  prophet's  town,  which  contained 
a  large  amount  of  corn,  was  destroyed  on  the 
morning  of  the  eighth,  and  the  next  day  the 
army  took  up  its  return  march,  arriving  at  Fort 
Harrison  on  the  14th  of  November,  whence  the 
wounded  were  sent  forward  by  boats  to  Vin- 
cennes.  The  army  continued  its  march,  reach- 
ing Vinvennes  on  the  18th.  This  battle  of  Tip- 
pecanoe  was  fought  on  the  banks  of  Burnet's 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND  STORY 


67 


•Creek,  about  seven  miles  north-east  of  tiie  pres- 
ent city  of  Lafayette,  iu  Tippecauoe  County. 
It  became  famous  iu  a  large  degree  through 
its  adoption  as  a  "slogan''  during  the  campaign 
in  which  Mr.  Harrison  was  subsequently  elect- 
ed President  of  the  United  States. 

The  news  of  the  battle  and  its  results  having 
reached  the  capital,  the  Legislature  and  the 
people  made  preparations  to  greet  the  victorious 
army  and  its  commander  with  appropriate  hon- 
ors. It  was  "resolved"  by  the  Legislature  that 
that  body  would  wait  upon  the  g9yernor  iu  a 
body  and  "in  their  own  names  and  those  of 
their  constituents,  welcome  him  home,"  and 
General  Washington  Johnston  was  appointed  a 
committee  to  make  the  same  known  to  the 
governor  at  the  head  of  the  army,  "should  un- 
forseen  circumstances  not  prevent."  An  appro- 
priate and  highly  complimentary  address  was 
adopted  and  delivered  to  the  governor  on  his 
arrival. 


KNOX  COUNTY  INFIRMARY 

But  these  demonstrations  of  esteem  and  ap- 
proval did  not  meet  with  universal  approbation 
among  the  citizens  of  Yincennes  or  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Legislature,  where  the  governor  was 
not  without  opponents,  and  indeed  inveterate 
enemies.  The  address,  which  was  prepared 
In  the  council,  was  adopted  by  the  close  margin 
of  onlv  four  to  three  votes,  seven  members  be- 


ing present.  There  were  not  a  few  of  the  resi- 
dents \vko  dissapproved  of  the  Indian  policy  of 
the  governor  and  were  opposed  to  the  expedi- 
tion when  undertaken.  These  soon  developed  a 
disposition  to  rob  the  governor  of  his  just  meed 
of  praise  and  to  award  the  honors  for  the  vic- 
tory to  Colonel  Boyd  of  the  regular  army,  who, 
it  was  claimed  by  the  enemies  of  Harrison,  had 
saved  the  day,  and  that,  but  for  him  and  his 
regiment,  the  militia  would  have  been  de- 
stroyed. On  the  25th  of  November  the  House 
adopted  joint  resolutions,  which,  on  account  of 
the  "strong,  special  and  somewhat  exclusive 
praise"  which  they  bestowed  on  Colonel  Boyd 
and  his  regiment,,  were  "disagreed  to"  by  the 
Council.  Later  the  House  adopted  a  series  of 
resolutions  in  which  Colonel  Boyd  and  the 
United  States  troops  received  special  thanks,  as 
did  also  the  militia  under  Colonel  Luke  Decker 
and  Colonel  Joseph  Bartholomew,  and  the  sol- 
diers composing  the  volunteer  corps  from  Ken- 

tucky. 

•This  called  fortu 
from  the  governor  a 
strong  protest  as 
not  giving  to  the 
mounted  riflemen  of 
the  territory  and  to 
the  squadron  of 
dragons  the  notice  to 
which  they  were 
justly  entitled.  The 
governor  recounted 
the  distinguished 
services  of  these 
men,  recalling  tLe 
heavy  losses  they 
had  suffered  among 
their  officers  and 
men.  Answering  the 
governor,  the  House 
disclaimed  any  in- 
tentional neglect  of 
the  commands  in 
question  and  inti- 
mated they  were  sup- 
posed to  be  included  in  the  term  "militia,"  as 
used  in  the  original  resolution. 

These  proceedings  are  recalled  here  as  show- 
ing the  jealousies  which  existed,  even  at  that 
early  day,  on  the  subject  of  military  glory  and 
honor.  Bitter  partisan  politics  had  much 
to  «do  with  the  public  service  even  in  that 
day. 


68 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

WAR  OF  1812.— GOVERNOR  HARRISON  IN 
COMMAND  OF  UNITED  STATES  FORCES. 
—CAPITAL   LEAVES  VINCENNES. 
During  the  month  of  December,   1811,   Gov- 
ernor  Harrison  received    overtures    of    peace 
from  various  bands  of  Indians  who  had  been 
associated   with   the 
prophet,  but  declined 
.to     meet     them     in 
council  -  till     tne 
prophet  and   all   his 
followers     who     did 
not    belong    to    the 
Wabash     were     re- 
moved      from      the 
country." 

Tecumseh,  on  his 
return  north,  ap- 
peared among  the 
Miami  Indians  soon 
after  the  defeat  of 
h  i  s  brother,  the 
prophet,  at  Tippe- 
canoe.  He  is  said  to 
have  reproved  the 
prophet  in  strong 
terms  for  permitting 
the  Indians  to  at- 
tack Governor  Harri- 
son's command. 

In  December,  1811, 

a  memorial  was  adopted  by  the  Legislature, 
asking  Congress  to  authorize  the  people  of  In- 
diana Territory  to  form  a  state  constitution. 

The  declaration  of  war  made  in  June,  1812, 
against  Great  Britain  by  the  United  States  was 
no  cause  of  surprise,  either  to  the  white  in- 
habitants of  Indiana  Territory  or  to  the  Indians. 
The  latter  had  been  accustomed  to  the  idea 
through  the  British  traders  and  emissaries  for 
years  past.  In  January,  Little  Turtle,  a  dis- 
tinguished chief  of  the  Miamis,  whose  village 
was  near  Fort  Wayne,  in  a  message  to  Gov- 
ernor Harrison,  alluded  to  the  signs  of  an  ap- 
proaching war  and  expressed  the  attachment 
of  the  Miami  and  Eel  River  Indians  to  the 
United  States.  The  Delawares,  also,  were 
friendly.  It  soon  became  apparent,  however, 
that  the  Kickapoos,  Potawatamies  and  Wintne- 
bagoes  were  bent  on  mischief,  and  marauding 
parties  from  these  tribes  began  to  murder  and 
pillage  the  frontiers.  During  the  month  of 


April  several  families  within  the  state  were 
murdered.  On  the  22d  of  April,  1812,  Mr. 
Haryraan,  who  resided  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Embarrass  River,  but  a  few  miles  below  Vin- 
cenues,  with  his  wife  and  five  children,  was- 
murdered. 

Governor  Harrison  issued. orders  designed  to 
place  the  militia  on  the  best  possible  war  foot- 


Residence  Dr.  L.  M.  Beckes,  609  Main 

ing  and  commanding  the  officers  of  the  various 
organizations  throughout  the  state  to  be  in 
readiness  and  promptly  to  pursue  and  punish 
any  parties  of  Indians  who  should  commit 
depredations.  Block  houses  and  picketed 
forts  were  erected  throughout  the  state,  and 
especially  on  the  borders  of  Knox  County  set- 
tlements. 

In  May  a  grand  council  of  the  various  Indian 
tribes  was  held  at  an  Indian  village  on  tne 
Mississinewa  River.  The  representation  was 
large  and  embraced  almost  all  the  tribes  within 
the  present  states  of  Indiana  and  Illinois.  The 
orators  all  expressed  the  strongest  friendship 
for  the  United  States  and  the  most  earnest 
desire  for  peace.  Tecumseh  was  there  and 
made  a  speech  in  which  he  stated  that  "the 
unhappy  affair  which  had  taken  place  between 
the  white  people  and  a  few  of  our  young  men 
has  been  settled  between  us  and  Governor  Har- 
rison." He  said  there  would  be  no  more  cause 


VIXCEXXES   IX   PICTURE   AXD   STORY 


69 


.given  b3r  his  people  for  an  attack  by  the  whites, 
and  chided  the  Potawatamies  for  not  having 
taken  better  care  to  see  that  their  treaty  obli- 
gations were  preserved  inviolate.  In  closing  he 
said:  ''Should  the  bad  acts  of  our  brothers,  the 
Potawatamies,  draw  on  us  the  ill  will  of  our 
white  brothers,  and  they  should  come  again 
and  make  an  unprovoked  attack  on  us.  at  our 
village,  we  will  die  like  men;  but  we  will  never 
strike  the  first  blow." 

There  appeared  but  one  sentiment  at  the 
council,  that  of  friendliness  to  the  United 
States,  and  a  large  number  of  the  Indians  soon 
after  went  to  Fort  Wayne  and  so  reported  to 
the  Indian  agent,  Mr.  Stickney,  who  demanded 
of  the  Winnebagoes,  Kickapoos  and  Shawanees, 
as  proof  of  their  honesty,  that  they  give  up  for 
punishment  those  of  their  tribes  who  had  been 
guilty  of  murdering  white  settlers.  To  this 
they  apparently  agreed. 


Pritchett's  Old  War  Horse,  "Robbin" 


Tecumseh  was  not  satisfied  with  the  result 
of  the  Mississinewa  council,  and  soon  after  the 
declaration  of  war  against  England,  on  June  18, 
1812,  he  went  to  Maiden  and  joined  himself  to 
the  British  force. 

Soon  after  Governor  Harrison  received  otti- 
•cial  notice  of  the  declaration  of  war  he  visite:i 
Kentucky  and  secured  the  cooperation  of  Gov- 


ernor Scott  in  the  protection  of  the  frontier,  a 
large  number  of  Kentucky  volunteers  ibefng  en- 
listed in  that  behalf. 

It  was  not,  however,  until  the  latter  part  of 
August,  after  the  temporary  disasters  to  the 
United  States  forces  at  Macinac,  Detroit  and 
Chicago,  that  the  Indians  began  to  take  a  bold 
attitude.  In  the  early  part  of  September  they 
began  to  assemble  in  considerable  numbers  in 
the  vicinity  of  Fort  Wayne,  and  on  the  night  of 
of  September  4,  a  considerable  force  made  a 
savage  attack  on  Fort  Harrison,  then  gar- 
risoned by  a  small  detachment  under  command 
of  Captain  Zachary  Taylor,  afterwards  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States.  The  Indians  fired 
the  fort  but  the  fire  was  extinguished  after  a 
considerable  breach  had  been  made  in  the 
walls,  and  the  garrison  succeeded  in  holding  its 
own  till  day,  when  the  Indians  retired. 
When  information  of  the  attack  on  Fort  Har- 
rison reached  Vin- 
cennes,  Colonel  Wm. 
Russell  of  the  Sev- 
enth U.  S.  infantry, 
at  the  head  of  a 
force  of  1,200  men, 
marched  to  the  relief 
of  the  fort.  On  reach- 
ing Fort  Harrison,  It- 
was  found  that  the 
Indians  had  de- 
camped, and,  leaving 
Colonel  Wilcox  with 
his  regiment  of  Ken- 
tucky volunteers  at 
the  fort,  the  remain- 
der of  the  relief  ex- 
pedition returned  to 
VIncennes.  A  few 
days  later,  Lieuten- 
ant Richardson,  with 
a  detachment  of 
eleven  men,  was 
escorting  provisions 
from  Vincennes  to 
Fort  Harrison  when 
Indians  and  seven  men 


he   was   attacked   by 
killed  and  one  wounded. 

In  August,  1812,  Governor  Harrison  was 
breveted  Major-General  of  Militia  of  Kentucky 
by  Governor  Scott,  and  invested  with  the  su- 
preme command  of  all  the  Kentucky  forces 
operating  for  the  defense  of  the  Xorthwestern 
Territories.  Two  thousand  Kentuckians  and 


70 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


'Photo  by  Townsley 


700  Ohioans  who  bad  rendezvoused  at  Piqua, 
Ohio,  marched  under  command  of  Governor 
Harrison  to  the  relief  of  Fort  Wayne,  which 
was  invested  by  hostile  Indians  in  force.  On 
the  approach  of  Governor  Harrison  the  Indians 
retired.  On  the  19th  of  September  General 
Harrison  surrendered  the  command  of  troops 
at  Fort  Wayne  to  'Brigadier-General  Winches- 
ter, but  five  days 
later  received  dis 
patches  from  Wash- 
i  n  g  t  o  n,  assigning 
him  to  the  command 
of  the  Northwestern 
army,  with  the  rank 
of  brigadier-general. 
This  army,  estimted 
at  10,000  men,  was 
composed  of  the 
various  detachments 
of  regulars  and  rang- 
ers within  the  terri- 
tory, the  volunteers 
and  militia  of  Ohio 
and  Kentucky,  and 
three  thousand  men 
from  Virginia  and 
Pennsylvania.  Gen- 
eral Harrison  was  in- 
structed to  provide 
for  the  protection  of 
the  frontier  and  men 


the  service  and  General  Hopkins  immediately 
set  about  organizing  a  new  force  of  infantry 
for  the  purpose  of  destroying  the  Indian  vil- 
lages in  the  vicinity  of  the  prop-bet's  town, 
which  had  been  rebuilt.  This  force,  consisting 
of  three  regiments  of  Kentucky  militia,  a  com- 
pany of  regulars  under  Captain  Z.  Taylor,  a~ 
company  of  rangers  under  Captain  Becker,  an<L 


Miss  Lillian 


to  retake  Detroit, 
and,  with  a  view  to 
the  conquest  of  upper  Canada,"  to  "penetrate 
that  country"  as  far  as  the  force  under  his -com- 
mand would,  in  Lus  judgment,  justify. 

At  this  time  there  was  stationed  at  Vincennes . 
a  force  of  mounted  volunteers  from  Kentucky 
under  General  Samuel  Hopkins,  A»  no  had  dis- 
tinguished himself  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
General  Hopkins  was  expected  to  take  care  of 
the  Indians  on  the  Wabash  and  Illinois  Rivers. 
Early  in  October  he  moved  up  the  Wabash, 
crossing  near  Fort  Harrison  into  the  Illinois 
country,  intending  to  seek  some  Indian  villages 
in  the  direction  of  Peoria.  Soon  after  cross- 
ing the  river,  signs  of  mutiny  and  discontent 
became  apparent  in  his  ranks,  and  finally,  after 
a  six  days'  march,  had  grown  to  such  an  ex- 
tent that  the  general  lost  control  and  his  army 
refused  to  follow  him  further,  but  turned  about 
and  returned,  he  in  the  rear. 

On  its  return  this  army  was  mustered  out  of 


Miller's  Residence,  6J8  Broadway 
a  company  of  scouts,- left  Vincennes '•""  *jie  5th 
of  November,  returning  late  in  the  mt>n^  with- 
out haying  accomplished  Anything  DI  vo.".'.)  tne 
destruction   of   some   deserted   Indian    villages, 
and.  having  lost  heavily  in  an  ambuscade  of  a 
detached  party,  eighteen  men  killed  ai  <1  a  num- 
ber wounded. 

On  the  eighteenth  of  December,  Gen.  Hopkins 
resigned  his  command  and  annouuc  Hi  his  in- 
tention to  *retir"e  from  military  life. 

While  General  Harrison  was  with  the  armies- 
actively  engaged  in  the  service  of  the  United 
States  government,  the  government  of  the  terri- 
tory of  Indiana  devolved  on  the  secretary,  Gen- 
eral John  Gibson.  General  Gibson  issued  a 
proclamation  in  December,  1812,  requiring  the 
Legislature  to  meet  at  Vincennes  on  the  first 
day  of  February.  1813,  which  it  did.  It  re- 
mained  in  session  until  the  12th  of  March. 
Among  the  bills  passed  were  the  following:  To> 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


71 


improve  the  uavigation  of  \Yhite  River,  orgau- 
i/.iiiL'  the  counties  of  Warrick  and  Gibsou,  to 
open  and  improve  roads  and  highways,  to  regu- 
late the  granting  of  divorces  and  for  the  inspec- 
tion of  flour,  beef  and  pork.  The  law  removing 
the  seat  of  government  from  Vincennes  to  Cory- 
don,  in  Harrison  County,  was  also  passed  at 
this  session,  and  provided  that  "from  and  after 
the  first  day  of  May,  1813,"  the  capital  of  the 
territory  should  be  Corydon.  This  decision  was 
reached  on  the  eleventh  of  March  and  on  the 
following  day,  in  conformity  with  a  joint  reso- 
lution, the  General  Assembly  was  prorogued  by 
acting  Governor  Gibson  to  meet  at  Corydon  on 
the  first  Monday  in  December,  1813. 

During  the  year  1813  there  was  great  activity 
within  the  borders  of  Indiana  Territory  in  the 
matter  of  providing  block  houses  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  outlying  districts.  While  the  In- 
dians did  not  venture  to  attack  any  of  these, 

Phofo  by  Shores 


Residence  Edw.  Watson,  622  N.  Seventh 


zen  was  sh;jt,  stabbed  and  scalped  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  city. 

In  February,  1813,  the  President  appointed  to 
the  governorship  of  the  territory,  Colonel 
Thomas  Posey,  a  United  States  senator  from 
Louisiana.  The  new  governor  arrived  at  Vin- 
cennes and  entered  upon  the  discharge  of  his 
duties  in  the  following  May. 

Pursuant    to    the    terms    of    prorogation  of 
the    preceding  March,  the  General    Assembly 
met  at  Corydon  on  Monday,  Dec.  6,  1813,  and 
received  the  first  message  of  Governor  Posey. 
The  many  successes  which  had  attended  the 
American  arms  in  the  northwest  under  the  gen- 
eral direction  of  General  Harrison,  culminating 
in  the  famous  battle  of  the  Thames  on  the  5th 
of  October,  1813,  where  Tecumseh  was  killed  in 
the  British  ranks,  wrought  a  great  work  in  the 
way  of  pacifying  the  Indian  tribes,  who  began 
in  large  numbers  to  sue  for  peace,  and  the  set- 
tlements of  the  In- 
diana  Territory    be- 
came   comparatively 
quiet  and  secure.  By 
the    early    part    of 
1814      considerable 
numbers     of     immi- 
grants from  the  East 
.began   to   come  into 
a  the  territory. 

On  the  tenth  of 
September,  1814,  by 
act  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, the  Bank  of 
Vincennes  was  char- 
tered, with  a  capital- 
ization of  $5,000.000, 
the  charter  extend- 
ing to  Oct.  1,  1835. 
This  charter  was 
recognized  and  con- 
firmed by  the  state 
constitution  of  181t>, 
and  the  first  State 
Legislature,  by  act 
of  Jan.  1.  1S17. 


they  were,  in  small  bands,  quite  active,  and  did 
much  mischief  in  the  way  of  single  murders, 
and  in  the  killing  and  driving  off  of  stock. 
Among  the  depredations  committed  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Vincennes  -..-ere  the  killing  of  two  men 
seven  miles  west  of  the  town  in  March,  and 
about  The  same  time  the  theft  of  twenty  horses 
from  citizens  of  the  vicinity.  In  July  a  citi- 


adopted  the  Rank  of  Vincennes  as  the  "State 
n.-mk  of  Indiana."  This  act  enlarged  the  cor- 
porate powers  of  the  bank  and  authorized  an 
increase  of  $1.000,000  in  its  capital,  divided  into 
shares  of  $100.  of  which  3.7.10  were  reserved 
for  the  state,  to  be  subs<  .  rilu-d  for  from  time  to 
time  by  the  governor.  This  bank  was  also 
authorised  t  adopt  the  Farmers'  and  Mechan- 


72 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


Photo  by  Tcmnsley 


ics'  Bank,  of  Madison,  chartered  somewhat 
earlier  than  the  Yiucennes  institution,  as  one 
of  its  branches.  For  some  time  the  affairs  of 
this  bank  appear  to  have  been  managed  with 
prudence,  but  before  the  year  1821,  the  man- 
agement had  become  so  shamefully  corrupt  and 
its  violations  of  its  charter  provisions  so  notori- 
ous, that  the  Legislature  in  that  year  authorized 
proceedings  against 
the  bank  by  writ  of 
quo  warranto,  with 
the  result  that  it 
was  deprived  of  its 
charter  and  banking 
privileges.  It  was 
charged  with  con- 
tracting debts  to  an 
amount  double  that 
of  the  deposits,  the 
excessive  issue  of 
paper  with  fraudu- 
lent intent,  the  pay- 
ment of  large  divi- 
dends to  sharehold- 
ers while  refusing  to 
redeem  its  notes  in 
specie,  and  the  em- 
bezzlement of  large 
sums  deposited  for 
safe  keeping.  A 
large  amount  of 
notes  circulated  -by 
this  institution  and 


sion  of  the  territory  into  the  union  as  a  state. 
Calling  attention  to  the  provision  of  the  or- 
dinance of  1787,  under  which  the  territory  was 
organized,  by  which  it  was  provided  that  the 
territory  should  be  entitled  to  statehood  when 
it  contained  a  white  population  of  60.000,  it  was 
shown  by  certificates  from  the  county  clerks 
of  the  various  counties  that  the  population  at 


Its  branches  at 


Residence  J.  L.  Bayard 

Brookville,  Corydon  and  Vevay,  became  worth- 
less. The  notes  of  the  Farmers'  &  Mechanics' 
Bank,  of  Madison  were,  however,  ultimately 
redeemed. 

The  building  containing  the  recorder's  offir-e 
at  Vincennes  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  January, 
1814,  consuming  all  the  books,  papers  and  rec- 
ords belonging  to  the  office.  In  September  fol- 
lowing, commissioners  were  appointed  to  re- 
store them,  so  far  as  possible,  by  taking  evi- 
dence. 

CHAPTER. XIV. 

INDIANA  BECOMES  A  STATE.— BLAC.v- 
HAWK  WAR.— WAR  OF  THE  REBEL- 
LION. 

The  Territorial  Legislature  convened  at  Cory- 
don on  the  frst  Monday  in  December.  181  •>.  and 
on  the  14th  of  that  month .  adopted  a  memo- 
rial to  Congress,  designed  to  secure  the  adinis- 


,  President  First  National  Bank.  505  N.  Sixth 

that  time  was  63.897.  The  population  of  Knox 
County  was  certified  as  8,068,  and  was  larger 
than  that  of  any  other  county. 

Congress  passed  an  act  which  became  a  law 
April  19,  1816,  -.authorizing  the  people  of  Indi- 
ana to  adopt  a  constitution  and  providing  for 
its  admission  as  a  state. 

Pursuant  to  this  act  a  constitutional  conven- 
tion was  chosen  in  May  following.  The  mem- 
bers from  Knox  County  were  John  Johnson, 
John  Badollet,  William  Polke,  Benjamin  Parke 
and  John  Benefiel.  The  session  was  begun  at 
Corydon.  June  10.  and  completed  its  labors  on 
the  29th  of  the  same  ironth. 

An  flection  for  state  embers,  under  the  con- 
stitution, was  held  in  August.  1816.  and  Jona- 
than Jennings,  who  had  presided  over  the  de- 
liberations of  the  constitutional  convention, 
was  chosen  governor,  receiving  3.211  votes,  to 
3.934  cast  for  Governor  Posey.  William  Polke 


V1NCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


73 


-was  elected  state  senator  from  Kiiox  County, 
and  Isaac  Blackford,  Walter  Wilson  and  Henry 
I.  Mills  were  the  members  of  the  Lower  House 
from  Knox.  Mr.  Blackford  was  elected  speaker 
of  the  House  on  the  organization  of  that  body. 
On  the  seventh  of  November  the  state  officers 
took  the  oath  of  office  and  a  new  state  was 
born  into  Uncle  Sam's  family. 

The  years  of  quiet  succeeding  the  war  of  1812 
were  prosperous  ones  for  the  new  state  and 
immierration  flowed  into  its  borders  at  an  im- 
mense rate,  so:that  by  the  year  1820,  less  than 
four  years  from  the  date  of  its  admission,  its 
population  had  more  than  doubled  and  the  cen- 
sus of  that  year  showed  a  population  of  more 
than  147,000  souls. 

BLACKHAWK  WAR.— The  rapid  settle- 
ment of  the  state,  and  the  treaties  with 
the  various  tribes  of  Indians,  rendered  the 
•citizens  of  Indiana  comparatively  secure 

<Pho!o  by  Totonsley 


Residence  John  Bierhaus,  Seventh  and  Busseron 

from  their  depredations,  but  in  the  year 
1832  the  famous  Sac  chief,  Blackhawk,  as- 
sumed an  arrogant  and  threatening  attitude 
and  disturbed  the  peace  of  Illinois  and  greatly 
alarmed  the  outlying  settlements  on  the  bor- 
ders of  Indiana.  Governor  Noble  called  out 
the  militia  to  protect  the  northern  settlements. 
A  company  of  United  States  rangers  was  or- 


ganized in  Kuox  County  by  Captain  B.  V. 
Beckes,  known  as  "Company  B,  of  mounted 
rangers,  army  of  the  United  States,"  com- 
manded by  Major  Henry  Dodge.  The  officers 
of  the  company  were:  Captain,  Ben.  V.  Beckes; 
first  lieutenant,  Samuel  Smith;  second  lieuten- 
ant, George  Leach.  The  men  were  enlisted  for 
a  year  and  spent  the  winter  of  1832-3,  at  Can- 
tonment Johnson,  on  River  Deshee.  In  his  re- 
port of  the  service  of  his  company,  Captain 
Beckes  says:  "I  left  Cantonment  Johnson  by 
way  of  Carlisle,  Merom,  Terre  Haute,  Clinton, 
Danville,  Iroquois,  Beaver  Creek,  Rock  Creek, 
Hickory  Creek,  DuPage,  Fox  River,  'Pop  Pau' 
Grove,  Dixon's  Ferry,  and  encamped  four 
miles  west  of  Dixon's  Ferry,  on  my  way  to 
Fort  Armstrong,  with  my  company  in  good 
order  and  fit  £or  service."  Later  he  reports 
having  returned  to  Cantonment  Johnson  in  De- 
cember "and  commenced  building  barracks, 
.  .  which  have  been 

completed  some  time 
and  the  company 
regularly  drilled 
since.  As  no  blood 
was  spilled  on  Indi- 
ana ground  during 
this  war,  Captain 
Beckes  and  his  Knox 
County  boys  had  no 
opportunity  to  prove 
their  valor  on  the 
battleground.  There 
were,  however,  no 
less  than  six  deaths 
in  Captain  Beckes' 
company  before  it 
was  mustered  out  of 
the  service.  On  the 
roster  of  the  com- 
pany appear  many 
names  familiar 
among  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  Vin- 
cennes  of  to-day. 

From  the  date  of 

the  Black  Hawk  campaign  to  that  of  the  War 
of  the  Rebellion,  there  was  nothing  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  country  to  stir  the  patriotism  of  the 
Knox  County  people  or  make  martial  history, 
p.nve  the  Mexican  War  of  1840,  and  the  small 
dvMi'aml  on  the  State  of  Indiana  for  soldiers  for 
tlvit  war  gave  Knox  County  no  opportunity  to 
put  into  the  field  any  complete  organization, 


74 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


Mrs.  Carrie  Stallard  made  the  presentation  on 
behalf  of  the  ladies  of  the  city  in  the  following 
language,  addressing  herself  to  Captain  Har- 
row: 

"Sir,  with  mingled  feelings  of  pain  and  pleas- 
ure we  look  upon  your  noble  company;  pain, 
when  we  look  upon  the  distracted  condition  of 
our  once  happy  country;  pleasure,  when  we  re- 


t  hough  there  were    a  number    of  enlistments 
from  the  county  for  that  war. 

WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.— On  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  sentiment 
in  and  about  Vincennes  was  greatly  divided. 
Though  Mr.  Lincoln  had  received  several  hun- 
dred votes  in  the  county,  there  was  a  large  ele- 
ment out  of  sympathy  with  him  and  his  views, 
and  the  current  of 
feeling  ran  high  in 
the  early  days  of  the 
war.  Nevertheless 
patriotism  rapidly 
gained  the  upper 
hand  and  military 
organizations  began 
to  be  formed  early 
in  the  spring  of 
1861.  The  first  com- 
pany formed  in  Vin- 
cinnes  was  a  com- 
p  a  n  y  of  "H  o  m  e 
Guards,"  with  J.  II. 
Massey  as  captain, 
P.  B.  La  Plante,  J. 
T.  Coleman  and  J.  C. 
Denny,  lieutenants 
This  company,  or- 
ganized while  senti- 
ment was  in  the 
formative  period 
adopted  the  follow- 
ing resolution:  "Re- 
solved That  the  ob-  »  Residence  John  Hattigan;  Fourth  and  Church  Streets 


jcct  of  this  organization  is  peace  at  home,  not 
destruction  abroad — not  an  aggressive  war,  but 
a  defensive  peace— not  for  subjugation  or  coer- 
cion, but  to  arrest  turmoil  and  to  maintain  the 
law."  This  resolution  created  not  a  little  com- 
ment and  caustic  criticism.  We  are  glad  to 
note  that  a  great  number  of  the  members  of 
this  organization  later  enlisted  in  other  organ- 
izations and  did  honorable  service  at  the  front. 
A  number  of  companies  were  organized  in 
various  parts  of  the  county  but  the  first  to  offer 
their  services  to  the  government  were  the  "Old 
Post  Guards"  and  the  "Knox  County  Invinci- 
bles."  The  "Invincibles"  was  the  first  com- 
pany to  depart,  which  they  did  on  the  10th  of 
May,  1801.  Before  leaving  for  Camp  Vigo,  at 
Terre  Haute,  they  were  given  a  banquet  by 
the  ladies  of  Vincennes  and  presented  with  a 
beautiful  and  costly  silk  flag.  The  presenta- 
tion was  at  the  residence  of  Captain  Denny,  and 


member  that  we  have  such  a  gallant  band  will- 
ing to  leave  home  and  friends  and  go  forth  at 
their  country's  call.  History  will  grite  of  the 
great  Rebellion  of  the  Nineteenth  Century,  and 
of  those  who  laid  down  their  lives  when  their 
country  was  in  danger.  May  your  names  be 
enrolled  among  the  Union's  brave  sons.  In  be- 
half of  the  ladies  of  Vincennes  I  present  you 
with  the  American  flag.  Should  the  Star 
Spangled  banner  wave  o'er  the  battlefield,  as 
your  eyes  rest  upon  it  think  of  home  and  coun- 
try. Our  best  wishes  and  prayers  will  attend1 
you,  while  our  sympathies  and  feelings  will  be 
with  your  loved  ones  at  home.  We  need  not 
charge  you  to  be  true  to  the  Stars  and  Stripes. 
We  believe  the  bravest  and  best  blood  would 
be  poured  out  in  defense  of  the  flag  under 
which  our  fathers,  with  George  Washington  as 
their  leader,  fought  and  won  such  glorious 
victories.  Our  Heavenly  Fatlu-r  was  with 


VIXCEXNBS  IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


75 


them;  He  will  be  with  you.  Death  to  the 
traitor  that  would  try  to  trail  that  flag  through 
the  dust  of  shame.  All  honest  hearts  in  this 
will  share  and  follow  it  to  death  or  fame." 

Response  was  made  by  Captain  Harrow  in 
suitable  words. 

These  two  companies  became  B  and  G,  of  the 
famous  Fourteenth  Indiana  infantry.  Though 
enlisted  under  the  call  of  the  state  for  six  regi- 
ments of  twelve-months  men,  they  were,  on 
the  7th  of  June,  mustered  into  the  service  of 
the  United  States,  being  the  first  regiment  so 
mustered  from  the  state.  It  went  to  Indian- 
apolis, June  24th,  and  on  the  5th  of  July  left 
for  West  Virginia,  and  was  soon  engaged  in 
active  operations.  The  regiment  was  com- 
manded by  Colonel  Nathan  Kimball.  No  vol- 
unteer regiment,  probably,  saw  more  actfcve 
service  or  made  a  more  honorable  record  than 
did  the  Fourteenth. 

Phoro  by  7<ft»nsley 


Residence  Harry  V.  Somes,  Jr.,  Assis't  Cashier  First  National  Bank,  50J  N.  Third 


who  went  into  the  battle,  thirty-one  were  killed 
and  151  wounded,  more  than  fifty  per  cent. 
It  led  the  charge  at  Fredericksburg  on  the  13th 
of  December,  losing'  four  killed,  seventeen 
wounded  and  eight  missing.  On  May  3,  1863,  at 
Chancellorsville  it  lost  seven  killed,  fifty-one 
wounded  and  2  missing.  In  the  afternoon  of 
the  third  day  of  the  Battle  .of  Gettysburg  this 
regiment  sustained  the  brunt  of  Longstreet's 
desperate  charge,  sustaining  a  loss  of  123  offi- 
cers and  men  killed  and  wounded. 

Company  G,  Twenty-first  Indiana  volunteers, 
Captain  Edward  McLaflin,  was  made  up  from 
Vincennes  and  vicinity.  It  was  mustered  into 
the  service  July  24,  1861,  reaching  Baltimore 
Aug.  3.  It  remained  here  till  Feb.  19,  1862. 
This  regiment  was  a  few  months  later  engaged 
at  New  Orleans  when  that  city  was  captured 
by  General  Butler.  In  the  battle  of  Baton 
Rouge,  Aug.  5,  the  regiment  lost  126  officers 
and  men  in  killed 
and  wounded.  In 
February,  1863,  this 
regiment  became  a 
heavy  artillery  regi- 
ment, and  was  called 
the  First  Heavy 
Artillery.  During 
the  siege  of  Port 
Hudson  it  lost  twen- 
ty-eight men.  This 
regiment,  most  of 
whose  members 
"veteraued"  at  the 
expiration  of  their 
first  terms  of  enlist- 
ment, saw  much  fur- 
ther hard  service. 

Company  E,  of  the 
Fifty-first  regiment, 
was  officered  almost 
entirely  from  Vin- 
cennes, though  en- 
listed largely  from 
the  counftry  dis- 
tricts. This  regi- 


It  lost  three  killed  and  eleven  wounded  at 
Cheat  Mountain,  Sept.  12,  1861;  five  killed  and 
eleven  wounded  at  Green  Briar,  Oct.  3;  five 
killed  and  fifty-eight  wounded  at  Winchester 
Heights.  March  23.  1862.  On  the  17th  of 
September  it  was  outraged  in  the  battle  of  An- 
tit'tam  and  for  four  hours  fought  within  sixty 
yards  of  the  enemy.  In  this  fight,  of  320  men 


ment  was  mustered  into  the  service  Dec.  14, 
1861,  under  Colonel  A.  D.  Streight.  Its  first 
active  service  was  at  Corinth,  where  it  assisted 
at  the  siege.  At  the  battle  of  Stone  River, 
Dec.  31,  1863,  and  two  days  following,  thi» 
n-iriment  lost  a  total  of  forty-nine,  killed, 
wounded  and  missing.  In  an  expedition  againist 
Rome.  Georgia,  Colonel  Streight  and  his  com- 


76 


VINOBNNBS   IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


mand,  a  brigade,  was  captured  by  the  rebels. 
After  enduring  the  horrors  of  the  rebel  prisons 
for  a  time,  they  were  exchanged.  Its  last  im- 
portant engagement  was  in  the  battle  of  Nash- 
ville, December  15,  1864. 

Company  I,  Eightieth  Indiana,  was  mainly 
from  Vinceuues.  This  regiment  went  into 
•camp  at  Camp  Gibson,  Princeton,  in  August 
and  September,  1862.  Leaving  Princeton  on 
the  8th  of  September,  this  regiment,  on  the 
•eighth  of  the  follow  inlg  month,  took  a  con- 
spicuous part  in  the  battle  of  Perryville,  where 
it  lost,  in  killed,  wounded  and  captured,  150 
men.  The  record  of  this  regiment  was  a  bril- 
liant one,  it  having  been  engaged  in  very  many 
battles,  skirmishes  and  active  campaigns.  In 
killed,  wounded  and  prisoners  its  losses  aggre- 
gated 327  men.  It  is  said  to  have  traveled  an 
aggregate  of  7,245  miles. 
The  record  of  Knox  County  in  the  matter  of 


Residence  Senator  R.  E.  Purcell,  Sixth  and  Busseron 


response  to  the  calls  for  troops  was  highly 
creditable.  In  the  dark  days  of  1862.  when  it 
became  necessary  to  make  drafts  throughout 
the  county,  Knox  was  no  exception  to  the  rule. 
Mr.  M.  P.  Ghee  was  appointed  draft  commis- 
sioner for  Knox  Counlty.  The  calls  of  1862  and 
1863  were  filled  without  the  necessity  of  draft. 
Under  first  three  calls  of  1864  the  quota  of 


Knox  County  was  374.  This  was  the  Presi- 
dential election  year  and  a  sentiment  was  pre- 
valent, to  some  extent,  that  "the  war  was  a 
failure,"  so  that  it  became  necessary  to  enforce 
the  draft  to  supply  the  demand,  scarcely  one- 
third  of  the  required  number  having  volun- 
teered, notwithstanding  the  most  strenuous  ef- 
forts. Under  the  December  call  for  300,000 
men,  after  the  people  had  spoken  their  minds  at 
the  polls  and  it  was  seen  that  the  hands  of 
Mr.  Lincoln  were  to  be  held  up.  every  quota  in 
the  county  was  filled  save  that  of  Decker, 
which  was  deficient  one.  Every  other  township 
in  the  county  showed  a  surplus  of  volunteers 
of  from  one,  in  each  of  several  of  them,  to 
twelve  in  Vincennes. 

In  July,  1861,  Camp  Knox  was  established  as 
a  camp  of  instruction  and  drill  for  recruits,  at 
first  under  the  command  of  General  John  A. 
Mann,  and  later  under  that  of  Colonel  George 
W.  Gorman.  At 
times  there  were  in 
this  camp  as  many 
as  1.500  or  more  sol- 
diers. It  was  a  great 
attraction  and  was 
visited  by  thousands 
of  people.  Every 
neighborhood  had  its 
Soldiers'  Aid  Soci- 
ety, and  the  ladies 
of  Vincennes  and 
Knox  County  did 
much  to  alleviate 
the  sufferings  of  the 
soldiers  at  the  front. 
After  the  battle  of 
Fort  Doim<elson  the 
Bishop  of  Viuceuues 
diocese  tendered  the 
use  of  the  Seminary 
building  for  the  care 
of  sick  and  wound- 
ed soldiers  brought 
home  from  the  front 
and  the  aid  of  the 

sisters  in  caring  for  them.  On  the  26th  of 
April,  the  City  Council  of  Vincennes  voted  $3,- 
000  for  the  care  of  the  families  of  soldiers. 
All  told,  there  was  given*  in  bounties  and  re- 
lief by  the  county,  various  townships  and  City 
of  Vincennes.  more  than  $152.000  to  soldiers 
and  their  families. 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


77 


THE   SPANISH-AMERICAN   WAR 

In  the  Spanish-American  war  Yincennes  bore 
an  honorable  part,  having  furnished  two  com- 
panies,. A.  and  L.,  of  the  J59th  Indiana  Volun- 
teers. 

Company  A,  Capt.  T  B.  Coulter,  of  the 
First  Regiment,  I.  N.  G.  was  an  organization 
that  had  been  in  existence  for  a  number  of 
years  and  was  one  of  the  best  drilled  compan- 
ies in  the  military  organization  of  the  State. 
This  company  reported  at  Indianapolis  on)  the 
2Gth  of  April,  1898,  in  response  to  orders  from 
Brigadier-General  McKee,  commanding  State 
forces.  On  the  evening  of  the  25th  citizens 
tendered  to  the  company  a  banquet  at  the 
Grand  Hotel,  where  patriotic  speeches  were 
made  and  the  boys  givmi  God-speed.  A  flag 
provided  by  the  ladies  of  the  city  was  later 
presented  the  company  at  Indianapolis  by  a 
committee  appointed  for  the  purpose. 

The  roster  of  Company  A  is  as  follows: 

Captain — Thomas  B.  Coulter,  Vincennes. 

First  Lieutenant Charles  D.  McCoy,  Vin- 
cennes. Died  October  9,  1898. 

Second  Lieuteniant — Adolph  H.  Kruse,  Vin- 
cennes. 

(Mr.  Kruse  became  first  lieutenant  on  death 
of  Lieutenant  McCoy  and  was  succeeded  as  sec- 
ond lieutenant  by  Sergeant  Raymond  A.  Smith.) 

First  Sergeant — Raymond  A.  Smith,  Vin- 
cennes. 

Quartermaster  Sergeant — Louis  Harnru,  Viu- 
cennes. 

Sergeants — Edward  S.  Sparrow,  Emery  C. 
Thome,  James  R.  Irwin,  Arthur  Saiter,  Vin- 
cennes. 

Corporals— ^Fred  Castor,  Fred  Fossineyer, 
James,  A.  Hughes.  Judson  Alton,  William  Jen- 
kins, Vincennes;  Elijah  C.  Williamson,  Sand- 
born. 

Musicians— Frederick  W.  Hall,  Thomas  B, 
Wilson,  Vincennes. 

Artificer — Charles  Saiter,  Vincennes. 

Wagoner — August  Dreiman,  Vincennes. 

Privates — Claud  Adams,  Ralph  S.  Alexander, 
John  W.  Allen,  Oliver  I.  Alton,  Paul  A.  Aubry, 
Vincennes:  Clarence  Baker,  Linton;  Eugene  V. 
Bartholomai,  Jno.  F.  Beamon,  Frederick  A.  Ber- 
ry, Vincennes;  Frederick  R.  Bomlfield,  Danville; 
Frank  Browning,  Vincennes;  August  Bubenzer, 
Freelandsville;  Albert  Charles,  Lee  O.  Church, 
Matthew  Clifton,  Lawrence  R.  Cloin,  Vio- 
cennes;  Edward  Cooper,  Terre  Haute;  William 


A.  Courier,  Thomas  W.  Devine,  Daniel  S.  Ever- 
ett,  Larkin  Everett,  Samuel  Everett,  William 
Everett,  Byron  B.  Fitch,  John  Flory,  James  H. 
Fortner,   Nelson   Fry,   Vincennes;   George     H. 
Gifford,  Indianapolis;  Harry  W.  Gregory,  Chas. 
Z.  Haas,  Vincennes;  William  S.  Hackett,  Sand- 
born,  GoldeB  Hardesty,  Vincennes;  Clyde  Haw- 
kins, WheatUnd;  Oscar  Hawkins,  Elmo  A.  In- 
derrieden,  Joseph  J.  Joice,  Archie  T.  Jordan, 
Franklin  R.  Kiefner,  Charles  Kirtwood,  Freder- 

.  iek  C.  Lacky,  Grant  Lamb,  Lewis  F.  Martin, 
William  H.  Milam,  David  F.  Miller,  John  Muir, 
Vincennes;  Jonas  Nolting,  Freelandsville;  Ar- 
chie Owens,  Jerome  Pennington,  Vincenntes;  Os- 
car Powell,  Sandborn;  Lee  L.  Rice,  Lafayette  N. 
Rider,  Andy  Ruth,  William  Scott,  John 
F.  Sloan,  Glenn  R.  Smith,  Vineennes; 
Charles  Steinberg,  Bloomington;  Thomas  H. 
Taylor,  Everett  O.  Townsley,  Vincennes;  Erwln 
E.  Tryoni,  Terre  Haute;  George  R.  Turner, 
William  H.  Wathem,  Theodore  Witshark,  Vin- 
cenues:  Harley  Williams,  Cowan;  Harry 

B.  Wells,  Vinicennes'  Edgar  A  very,  Sandborn; 
Henry  Brommelhaus,  Charles  H.  Bouchie,  Vin- 
cennes;  John   F.   Crane,   Terre   Haute;   David 
Daugherty,  George  Dill,  Edward  L.  Dodd,  Hen- 
ry Devine,   Vincennes;  Elmer  Edwards,   Sand- 
born:     Clement     L.  Greene,     Michael     Hamm, 
Charles  E.  Harris.  Martin  S.  Hartel,  John  Heid- 
enrich,  Henry  C.  Kassens,  William  T.  Martin, 
Otto  Meyer.    Isaac   G.   McCleave.    William   W. 
McCorniick,  Oscar  Peek,  Joseph  T.  Randolph, 
Harry  E.  Ratcliff,  Charles  E.  Smith,  Frank  Tay- 
lor,  Thomas  Wayman,  John  J.  Weisenberger, 
W ,-ilter  Wood.  Vincennes, 

Company  L.  Capt.  Robt.  A.  Simpson,  was  com- 
posed of  cadets  and  former  cadets  of  the  Uni- 
versity. When  the  cal1  for  volunteers  came, 
patriotism  ran  high  with  the  cadets  and  they 
promptly  tendered  their  services.  They  elected 
officers,  redoubled  their  efforts  to  perfect  them- 
selves im  the  manual  of  arms  by  constant  and 
earnest  drill.  On  the  21th  of  April  Captain 
Simpson  received  orders  to  proceed  to  Camp 
Mount,  at  Indianapolis,  on  the  28th,  which  he 
did..  On  the  afternoon  of  the  27th  a  beau- 
tiful silk  flag  was  presented  the  company  by 
the  patriotic  young  ladies  of  the  University. 
In  the  evening  of  the  29th  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees and  faculty  of  the  University  tendered 
to  the  company  a  banquet  at  which  patriotic 
speeches  wero  made  and  good  advice  given 
the  young  soldiers.  The  cadet  company  on  ar- 
rival at  Indianapolis  was  made  Company  L, 


78 


VINCENNES  IX   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


of  the  First  Regiment,  I.  N.  G.    This  company 
being  composed  of  students  who  had  for  years 
had  the  advantage  of  military  training  at  the 
UnSversiay   was   not   at   a   disadvantage   with 
any  in  the  regiment. 
The  roster  of  Company  L  is  as  follows: 
Captain — Robert  A.  Simpson,  Vlncennes. 
First  Lieutenant — Lee  B.  Purcell,  Vincennes. 
Second  Lieutenant — John     B.     Bayard,  Vin- 
cennes. 

First  Sergeant — Winfield  Robinson,  Vin- 
cennes. 

Quartermaster  Sergeant — William  R.  Kenne- 
dy, Vincennes. 

Sergeants — Harry  T.  Watts,  Maurice  F.  Bay- 
ard, William  T.  Purcell,  Charles  A.  Thius,  Vin- 
cennes. 

Corporals — Lewis  A.  Holman,  Willis;  Barney 
F.  Greenhow,  Marion  Yelton,  Ray  G.  Agnew, 
Smiley  C.  Johnson,  Andrew  Roseman,  Vin- 
cennes. 

Musicians — Maurice  D.  Demaree,  Blooming- 
ton;  Walter  Shirts,  Noblesville. 
Artificer — John  E.  Hartigam,  Vincennes. 
Wagoner — Herman  F.  Piel,  Vincennes. 
Privates— Albert  E.  Albright,  William  Alton, 
Vincennes;  Frank  Aston,  L'nceville,  111.;  James 
E.  Bailey,  Louis  R.  Bailey,  Vincennes;  Seth  J. 
Ballou,  Bicknell;  Judy  K.  Barnes,  Greenville, 
111.;  Clarence  Bicknell,  Edward  E.  Blackwell, 
Bicknell;  Clark  Bledsoe,  Shoals;  Louis  N.  Bou- 
cfhie,'  John  J.  Breem,  Vincennes;  Isaac  D.  Bry- 
ant, Bdwardsport;  John  C.  Burke,  Vincennes; 
Benjamin  Carter,  Crawford  county,  111.;  How- 
ard Carter,  Daviess  Co.,  Ind.;  Don  H.  Cassell, 
Indianapolis;  Charles  C.  Castor,  Vincennies; 
William  L.  Crum,  Friendsville,  111.;  Walter  L. 
Daugherty,  Vinceunes;  Thomas  Dunn,  Wheat- 
land;  William  C.  Emison,  Thomas  F.  Fields, 
Vincennies;  George  B.  Fleming,  Karl  T.  Fore- 
man, Bruceville;  Charles  L.  Gardner,  Robert 
Gwin,  Vincennes;  Andrew  D.  Houck,  Bruce- 
ville; Claude  M.  House,  Bicknell;  Clarence  Huff 
man,  Walter  C.  Huffman,  L'nceville,  111.;  Wil- 
liam E.  Hurst,  Vincemies;  Charles  A.  Johnson, 
Washington;  Edward  P.  Johnson!,  Vincennes; 
Charles  O.  Kelso,  Rushville;  Frank  Keneipp, 
Vincennes;  Ozro  B.  Lloyd,  Monroe  City; 'Mar- 
tin E.  Marome,  Florence  McCarty,  James  Mc- 
Crisaken,  Vincennes;  Burford  McOuat,  Indian- 
apolis; Lewis  Organ,  L'nceville,  111.;  Harry  H. 
O'Whene,  Vincennes;  Owen  M.  O'Rourke, 
L'nceville,  111.;  Roland  L.  Perry,  Vincennes; 
Oharles  Pickerel,  L'nceville,  111.;  Emery  M. 


Reedy,  Knox  county;  Ervin  -L.  Reel,  Vin- 
cennes; Charles  E.  Robersou,  Bicknell;  Leon 
H.  Roberts,  Cleveland,  O.;  Ernest  Ruddy,  Vin- 
cennes; Edgar  Z.  Ryan,  L'nceville,  111.;  James 
O.  Sickels,  Edwardsport;  Paul  W.  Simpson, 
Bruceville;  Ammon  E.  Smith,  Gards  Point,  111.; 
Joseph  Smith,  Allendale,  111.;  Oath  H.  Smith, 
Bickuell;  Edward  Thuis,  Vincennes,  Harry  B. 
Truedley,  Cincinnaati,  O.;  Harry  Turner,  Mt. 
Carmel,  111.;  William  H.  Vaugnn,  Edward  O. 
.  Vieke,  Vincennes;  Charles  Weger,  Jasper;  An- 
ton J.  Wirth,  Mt.  Carinel,  111. 

Recruits — Ambrose  Braden,  Mitchell;  Chas. 
A.  Brocksmith,  Viucennes;  Sumner  Cox,  Emi- 
son; Dean  Crooke,  Mitchell;  William  Dayson, 
Maurice  Dorey,  Vincennes;  William  Dunn, 
Wheatland;  John  W.  Fox,  Emison;  Elmer 
Fox.  Bruceville;  Emil  Frey,  Vincennes;  Moses 
M.  Fulk,  Farmer;  Malott  Fletcner,  Indianapo- 
lis: John  H.  Hatcher,  Louis  P.  Hamm,  Vin- 
cennes; George  W.  Johnson,  Koleen;  Aden 
Mansfield,  Robinson;  Charles  A.  Miller,  Harry 
McCarty,  William  F.  McDowell,  Vincennes; 
Nelson  Norton,  Sullivan;  George  Olmstead, 
Brownstown;  Edward  F.  Pierson,  Edward 
Roseman,  Richard  C.  Robintson,  Herman 
Schmidt,  Vincennes;  Ethelbert  C.  Stewart, 
L'nceville,  111.;  Charles  Soden,  Bicknell;  Otto 
Shelkofsky,  Oscar  Sparks,  Harry  W.  Soete, 
Vincennes;  James  F.  Snyder,  Pinkstaff,  111.; 
Edward  Wetzel,  Vincennes;  Joseph  B.  Wit- 
tenmyer,  Emison. 

The  First  Regiment  was  mustered  into  the 
service  of  the  United  States  May  12,  1898,  as 
the  159  Indiana  Volunteers. 

The  regiment  left  Camp  Mount  May  22,  and 
arrived  at  Camp  R.  A.  Alger,  Dunn  Loring, 
Virginia,  May  24.  Here  it  remained  till  August 
3,  when!  it  broke  camp  and  marched  to  Burke's 
Station,  nine  miles.  On  the  5th  it  continued 
the  march  to  Yates'  Ford  and  camped  on  Bull 
Run  battle  ground;  thence  on  the  Tth  it  march- 
ed to  New  Bristow,  Va.,  and  on  the  9th  com- 
pleted a  march  of  forty  miles  to  Thoroughfare 
Gap,  Va. 

From  Thoroughfare  Gap  the  regiment  was 
moved  by  rail  to  Camp  Meade,  near  Middle- 
town,  Pa.,  where  it  arrived  August  29.  Under 
orders  for  the  muster  out  of  the  regiment,  it 
left  Camp  Meade  September  11,  and  arrived 
at  Camp  Mount,  Indianapolis,  September  13. 
Five  days  later  the  entire  regiment  was  fur- 
loughed  for  thirty  days.  Later,  on  telegraphic 
orders  from  the  war  department,  the  furlough 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


79 


was  extended  to  include  November  10.     The 
regiment  was  mustered  out  November  23. 

The  159th  was  commanded  by  Ool.  John  T. 
Baruet,  of  Piqua,  Ohio;  Col.  George  McCoy,  of 


1 


o 

z 


TJ 

a 

rt 


Vincennes,  now  colonel  of  the  First  Regiment 
I.  N.  G.,  was  lieutenant- colonel  of  the  159th. 
It  was  brigaded  with  the  Third  New  York  and 
the  22d  Kansas,  these  regiments  constituting 


the  First  brigade  of  the  second  division,  Sec- 
ond Army  Corps.  The  brigade  was  command- 
ed by  Brigadier-General  Mark  D.  Sheaf,  the 
division!  by  Brigadier-General  George  W.  Da- 
.  vis,  afterwards 
governor  general 
of  Porto  Rico  and 
now  provost  mar- 
tial general  at 
Manila.  The  corps 
commander  was 
Major  General 
William  M.  Gra- 
ham. The  159th 
was  recognized  in 
the  corps  as  one 
of  the  best  discip- 
lined in  the  corn- 
man. 

On  their  arrival 
at  home  the  boys 
were  received 
with  demonstra- 
tions of  great  re- 
gard by  the  citi- 
zens, who  met 
them  at  the  train 
•rain  en  masse. 
They  marched  in 
a  body  to  the 
court  square 
where  an  address 
of  welcome  was 
delivered  by  the 
Hon.  J.  W.  Emi- 
son  and-  respond- 
ed to  by  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel Mc- 
Coy and  Cap- 
tains Coulter  and 
Simpson.  They 
were  sumptuous- 
ly banqueted  at 
the  Union  Depot 
Hotel  in  the  even- 
Ing. 

The  spirit  of 
comradeship  de- 
_  veloped  in  the 
b  service  shows  It- 
self yet  among  the  officers  and  men  and  It  is 
safe  to  say  that  should  auother  appeal  to  their 
patriotism  be  made  the  response  would  be  no 
less  prompt  and  effective  than  in  this  case. 


.8 


o 

z 

I 
H 


51 

OH 

§ 

W 


80 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


CHAPTER  XV. 

CORPORATE  HISTORY  OF  VINCENNES.— 
WHERE  HISTORY  WAS  MADE.— HIS- 
TORICAL NOTES. 

The  first  acts  for  the  government  of  the  vil- 
lage or  borough  of  Vinceumes  were  passed  by 
the  Legislature  in  1805,  and  approved  in  1807, 
but  it  appears  the  village  or  borough  was  not 
incorporated  till  the  act  of  1815.  By  this  act 
the  following  persons  were  named  trustees: 
Robert  Buntin,  Joshua  Bond,  William  Bullitt, 
Henry  Hurst,  Chas.  Smith,  Jacob  Kuykendall, 
Hyacinth  Laselle,  Touissant  Dubois  and  Peter 
Jon)es.  The  boundaries  of  the  borough  were 
those  included  at  present  by  Hart  on  the  north- 
east, the  church  lands  on  the  south-west,  the 
Wabash  River  on  the  north-west  and  Eleventh 
Street  on  the  south-east.  This  remained  the 
boundary  of  the  village  until  the  year  1817, 

Phoio  by  Tvwnsley 


Residence  Auditor  James  D.  Williams,  Eighth  and  Broadway 

when  "Harrison's  Addition"  was  annexed  by 
act  of  the  Legislature.  These  enlarged  limits 
remained  unchanged  till  the  place  was  incor- 
porated as  a  city  in  1856,  after  a  special  elec- 
tion held  in  January,  1856.  The  last  meeting 
of  the  village  trustees  was  held  February  7, 
1856. 
The  president  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  in 


1815,  as  far  back  as  a  record  showing  is  pre- 
served, was  Fred  Graeter,  who  served  two- 
years.  He  was  succeeded  by  Robert  Buntin, 
1817-18;  A.  Patterson,  1818-19;  Robert  Buntin, 
1819-20;  John  Moore,  1820-23;  (Owen  Reily,  pro 
tern.,  1823);  John  Collins,  1823-26;  G.  W.  John- 
son, 1826-28;  J.  S.  C.  Harrison,  1828-37;  Abner 
T.  Ellis,  1837-56.  The  first  mayor  of  the  City 
of  Vincennes  was  John  Meyers,  1856-57.  He 
was  followed  by  James  Dick,  1857  to  59;  W.  A. 
Jones,  1859-60;  R.  M.  Kennedy,  1860-62;  H.  V. 
Somes,  1863-67;  Geo.  E.  Green,  1867-69;  W.  B. 
Robinson,  1869-73;  J.  S.  Pritchett,  1873-74;  (An- 
ton Kapps,  pro  tern.,  1873);  W.  H.  Beeson, 
1874-77;  W.  B.  Searight,  1877-83;  J.  H.  Shouse, 
1883-85;  John  WTilhelm,  1885-89-,  Francis  Mur- 
phy. 1889-91;  O.  G.  Miller,  1891-94;  George  E. 
Green,  1894-1902. 

The  following  have  served  as  village  and  city 
clerks:  B.  I.  Harrison,  1815-17:  G.  R.  Sullivan, 
1817-23:  E.  Stout, 
1823-33:  Martin  Rob- 
inson, 1833-37:  Sam- 
uel Hill,  1837-56; 
A.  M  o  n  t  g  o  m  ery, 
1856-60;  G.  C.  Ma- 
thesie,  1860-69;  G.  S. 
Turney,  1869-75; 
Emil  Grill,  1875-79; 
C.  Cripps,  1879-85; 
C.  M.  Allen,  1885-87; 
George  E.  Green, 
1887-94:  Charles 
Langel.  1894-1802. 

WHERE  H  1  S- 
TORY  WAS  MADE. 
-Fort  S  a.c  k  v  i  1 1  e 
captured  in  1779  by 
George  Rogers 
Clark,  was  located, 
it  is  stated  on  good 
authority,  not  far 
from  First  and  Main 
Streets,  being  to  the 
north-west  of  the 
latter  street  and 


about  twenty  or  thirty  yards  from  the  river. 
The  little  log  church  in  which,  at  the  instance 
of  the  good  Father  Gibault,  the  inhabitants  of 
Vincennes  first  took  the  oath  of  allegiance  to 
the  State  of  Virginia,  stood  further  over  to- 
ward the  site  of  the  present  venerable  St. 
Francis  Xavier  Cathedral.  Later,  a  fort, 
which  has  been  variously  identified  as  a  sec- 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


81 


ond  Fort  Sackville  and  the  first  Fort  Kiiox, 
stood  at  a  point  near  First  and  Buntin  Streets. 
This  second  fort  was  built  in  1793.  Owing  to 
friction  between  the  citizens  and  the  soldiers 
of  the  garrison,  Governor  Harrison,  ini  1807,  or- 
dered the  fort  built  above  the  village  at  a  point 
now  recognized  as  the  site  of  Fort  Knox.  Fort 
Saekville  is  said  to  have  taken  its  name  from 
Jean  Sacqueville,  a  />,0/0  by  <rodd 
French  trader  and 
soldier  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Detroit 
French  Fur  Co.  Fort 
Knox  was  named  in 
honor  of  President 
Washington's  secre- 
tary of  war,  John 
Knox. 

The  store  of  the 
Spaniard,  Laurent 
B  a  z  a  d  o  n,  whose 
goods  were  im- 
pressed by  General 
Clark  in  1786,  stood 
at  the  corner  of  Sec- 
ond and  St.  Peters, 
(mow  Broadway.) 
The  residences  of 
Col.  Vigo  and  John 
Rice  Jones  stood  on 
opposite  sides  of  St. 
Peter's  (now  Broad- 
way), beyond  Sec- 
ond Street.  In  Col. 

Vigo's  house  Governor  Harrison  made  his 
headquarters  when  he  first  came  to  the  Capital 
of  Indiana  Territory.  A  part  of  this  house  re- 
mained as  late  as  1856.  In  the  same  neighbor- 
hood resided  Judge  Vanderburg. 

In  a  frame  house  at  the  south  corner  of  Third 
arid  Broadway,  the  first  Territorial  Legislature 
held  its  sessions.  Governor  Harrison's  resi- 
dence was  at  the  head  of  St.  Louis  Street.  This 
was  the  first  building  of  burnt  brick  west  of 
Pittsburg.  In  this  vicinage  the  celebrated  con- 
ferences with  Tecumseh  and  other  historic 
events  of  importance  transpired.  The  gov- 
ernor's plantation  had  been  named  '"Grouse- 
land"  by  its  owner  and  was  held  in  high  esti- 
mation by  him.  Romantic  stories  are  told  of 
a  tunnel  leading  to  the  river  to  be  used  for 
escape  from  the  Indians  in  case  of  necessity 
and  of  a  powder  magazine  located  beneath  the 
family  room  by  which  the  general  designed  to 


destroy  himself  and  fr.mily  rather  than  permit 
them  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  a  savage  foe. 
There  does  not  seem  to  be  a  reasonable  founda- 
tion for  these  statements. 

The  first  building  used  as  a  court  hoxise  was 
at  the  north  corner  of  Second  and  Broadway. 
It  was  later  used  as  a  hospital  by  soldiers.  The 
court  house  was  the  brick  at  the  west 


Prospect  Hill  Coal  Shaft 

corner  of  Fourth  and  Buntin,  now  a  private 
residence.  The  present  court  house  square 
\vas  bought  of  Jacob  Kuykendall  in  1830. 

The  "Bank  of  Vincenines,"  incorporated  by 
legislative  act  in  1814  and  which  subsequently 
became  the  "State  Bank  of  Indiana,  with  four 
branches  in  various  parts  of  the  state,"  and 
was  wrecked  by  fraud  and  mismanagement  of 
the  grossest  kind,  within  seven  years  from  its 
formation,  was  located  in  a  two-story  brick  at 
the  east  corner  of  First  and  Broadway. 

HISTORIC  NOTES. — The  first  theater  was 
built  by  John  Rice  Jones,  and  the  first  play, 
given  in  1807,  was  entitled,  "Drowning  Meij 
Catch  at  Straws."  A  singular  coincidence  is 
that  oni  the  day  the  play  appeared  a  man  was 
drowned  in  the  Wabash. 

A  duel  was  fought  just  across  the  river  in 
1813  between  Dr.  Scull  and  Parmenus  Beckes, 
in  which  the  latter  was  killed. 


82 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


Notwithstanding  the  ordinance  of  1787,  by 
which  the  territory  was  constituted,  forbade 
slavery  within  its  boundaries,  many  of  the  in- 
habitants held  slaves  to  a  late  date,  and  the 
institution  did  not  finally  disappear  till  1840. 
It  is  said  Governor  Harrison  had  quite  a 
retinue  of  slaves.  In  .1808  the  tax  lists  showed 
123  slaves,  enumerated  as  "servants,"  and  in 
1830  there  were  thirty-two  slaves  listed. 

The  vehicle  in  common  use  among  the  creole 
population  as  late  as  1840  was  the  "caleehe," 
a  cart  with  two  woodeni  wheels,  with  rawhide 
tires,  if  any,  and  with  a  deep,  square  box  for  a 
bed. 

But  once  in  its  history  has  Vincennes  suf- 
fered severely  from  an  epidemic  disease.  This 
was  in  1820  when  a  malarial  fever  of  malignant 
type  caused  great  loss  of  life.  It  was  at- 
tributed to  stagnant  water  in  the  vicinity. 
Numerous  stagnant  ponds  existed  and  the  river 


had  become  stagnant  and  foul  by  reason  of  a 
peculiar  water  grass  which  grew  in  its  bed. 
It  was  many  years  before  the  little  village  out- 
grew the  effects  of  this  terrible  scourge. 

Three  great  fires  have  occurred  in  the  history 
of  Vincennes.  The  first  of  these  was  on  the 
16th  of  October.  1841,  and  destroyed  every- 
thing on  the  north-east  side  of  Main  Street  ex- 


cept two  buildings.  The  second  great  fire  oc- 
curred Dec.  0,  1854,  and  destroyed  all  the  build- 
ings on  the  north-east  side  of  Main  Street  be- 
tween Second  and  Third  Streets.  On  Sunday, 
April  15,  1860,  nine  buildings  on  the  south-east 
side  of  Second,  between  Main  and  Busseron, 
were  destroyed.  In  1808,  in  "General  Court," 
Judges  Vanderburg  and  Parke  presiding,  Abra- 
ham Hiley  was  sentenced  to  death  for  the  mur- 
der of  John  Coffiiian.  On  the  29th  of  October 
he  stood  upon  the  drop  with  the  noose  adjusted 
about  his  neck.  In)  a  moment  more  the  drop 
would  have  fallen,  when  he  was  respited  by  the 
governor.  The  respite  having  expired  a  few 
days  later,  he  was  again  placed  on  the  scaffold 
and  this  time  pardoned  by  the  governor  before 
the  drop  fell.  Only  two  judicial  executions 
have  occurred  at  Vincennes  within  its  history. 
These  were  Thomas  McKinney,  Oct.  15,  1822, 
for  the  murder  of  Tames  Boyd,  and  William 
Cox,  a  negro,  April 
9,  1824,  for  rape.  It 
thus  fell  to  the  lot 
of  a  sinigle  circuit 
judge,  Jacob  Call,  to 
sentence  the  only 
criminals  ever  hung 
at  Vincennes.  The 
judge,  not  long 
afterwards,  c  o  rn- 
mitted  suicide  on 
the  eve  of  his  in- 
tended marriage. 

Among  the  dis- 
tinguished men  more 
or  less  identified 
with  the  early  his- 
tory of  Vinjcennes. 
we  may  mention  be- 
sides Governor, 
afterwards  P  r  e  s  i- 
dent  Ilarrison,  John 
Badollet,  first  regis- 
ter of  the  land  office, 
a  position  he  ob- 
tained through  the 

personal  friendship  of  Albert  Gallatin,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  President's  cabinet.  He  came  to 
Vincennes  in  this  capacity  on  the  organization 
of  the  territory  in  1800,  and  continued  to  hold 
the  position1  till  failing  health  compelled  his 
resignation  in  1836.  He  died  the  next  year. 

Colonel  Francis  Vigo,  whose  aid  to  General 
Clark  contributed  so  much  to  the  success  of 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


83 


any  of  the  streets  of  the  city.  As  first  con- 
structed the  road  ran  from  the  depot  to  First 
Street,  with  the  present  loop  at  the  depot  and 
a  loop  around  the  two  blocks  bounded  by 
First,  Third,  Main  and  Busseron.  It  was  a 
single  track,  with  switches,  and  the  motive 
power  was  mules.  The  first  cars  were  run  in 
1883.  About  1886,  the  loop  at  the  down-town 


Photo  fcy  Shores 


his  expedition,  resided  in  Vincennes  for  many 
years  prior  to  his  death.  It  is  a  blot  on  our 
early  congressional  history  that  Colontel  Vigo, 
though  in  dire  need  In  his  declining  years,  was 
never  able  to  secure  reimbursement  for  his  out- 
lay of  over  $9,000  in  Clark's  behalf. 

General  Zachary  Taylor,  tenth  President  of 
the  United  States,  when  a  captain  commanded 
at  Fort  Knox  for  a 
time. 

Judge  Benjamin 
Parke  was  one  of 
the  big  men  of  his 
day,  and  the  resi- 
dence he  built  In 
1804  still  stands  on 
Upper  First  near 
Hart  Street.  He  was 
territorial  delegate 
in  Congress  and  sub- 
sequently became 
judge  of  the  U.  S. 
District  Court. 

The  first  lodge  of 
the  Masonic  frater- 
nity organized  here 
was  Vincennes 
Lodge,  No.  1,  being 
also,  of  course,  the 
first  In  the  bounds 
of  the  state.  It  was 
chartered  by  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  Ken- 
tucky, Sept.  1,  1808.  Residence  Mrs.  Arabella  McKenney,  Third  and  Vigo 


Wabash  Lodge,  No.  20,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  the  first 
lodge  of  Odd  Fellows,  was  organized  in  1840. 

Charter  for  street  railway  was  granted  Oct. 
24,  1881,  to  Chas.  and  Frederick  Graeter  and 
their  associates,  successors  and  assigns,  the 
corporate  name  being  the  Vincennes  Citizens' 
Street  Railway  Co.  The  company  was  formed 
with  a  capital  stock  of  $15,050.  The  original 
incorporators  were  Frederick  Graeter,  Charles 
Graeter,  John  W.  Graeter,  George  W.  Graeter, 
O.  P.  Baker  and  Christ  Hoffman.  In  1885 
Frederick  Graeter  bought  the  stock  of  Ohas. 
Graeter,  Baker  and  Hoffman,  and  two  years 
later  the  entire  stock  was  transferred  to  George 
W.  Graeter,  who  had  been  manager  of  the  lines 
from  the  first. 

The  franchise  of  this  corporation  was  very 
broad  and  for  a  term  of  fifty  years.  It  per- 
mitted the  company  to  enter  upon  and  occupy 


end  was  taken  up,  the  lines  running  up  Main 
to  Second  and  out  Second,  to  Scott.  In  1891 
Mr.  Graeter  sold  out  to  a  company  formed  for 
the  purpose  of  building  an  electric  line.  The 
new  company  was  composed  of  Messrs.  Hudnut, 
Gerner,  Walker  and  Barr,  of  Terre  Haute,  and 
Allen  Tiudolph,  of  Vincennes..  Electric  power 
was  installed  ami  within  the  next  two  or  three 
years  the  road  was  extended  to  the  fair 
grounds  and  to  its  present  terminus  on  Second 
Street,  and  double  tracked. 

The  Wagon  Bridge  over  the  Wabash  was 
built  in  1869.  The  original  company,  formed 
in  December,  1868,  was  composed  of  leading 
citizens,  prominent  among  them  being  L.  L. 
Watson,  Colonel  C.  M.  Allen,  R.  J.  McKenny, 
William  Burtch,  and  Charles  A.  Weisert.  The 
authorized  capital  of  the  company  was  $40,000. 
The  plan  was  to  build  a  structure  entirely  of 
wood.  After  the  contract  was  let,  however, 


84 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


it  was  decided  to  build  an  iron  draw.  This  iu» 
creased  the  cost  to  $79,000,  and  additional  stock 
to  the  amount  of  $39,000  was  issued.  A  part 
of  the  bridge,  at  the  Vincennes  end,  was  de- 

Photo  by  Shores 


\    Residence  Governor  Harrison,  built  in  J804.    Owned  and  Occupied  by  Mr.  E. 
S.  Sheperd,  of  Vincennes  Paper  Co.,  Park  and  Scott  S  reets. 

stroyed  in  a  storm  in  1869,  but  immediately  re- 
built. In  1876  the  two  wooden  spans  were  re- 
built of  iron  at  a  cost  of  $10,000.  The  entire 
stock  was  acquired  by  the  city  in  1890,  and  the 
bridge,  which  had  previoiisly  been  operated  as 
a  toll  bridge,  made  free. 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
VINCENNES    UNIVERSITY. 
The  subject  of  education  early  occupied  the 
minds  of  manly  of  the  intelligent  people  of  the 
territory  but  serious  obstacles  presented  them- 
selves to  the  development  of  a  system,  and  of 
such  nature  that  they  could  not  be  overcome 


in  the  prevailing  condition  of  society.  The' 
United  States  government,  by  the  ordinance  of 
1787,  under  which  the  territory  was  organized, 
had  made  liberal  provisions  in1  that  direction, 
by  reserving  the  six- 
teenth section!  of 
every  township  in 
the  public  lands  to 
school  purposes. 
However,  the  posi- 
tive opposition  of 
some,  the  indiffer- 
ence of  many  and 
the  poverty  of  all 
were  mountainous- 
barriers  to  an  early 
development  of  the- 
proposed  system.  In 
1807  the  Territorial 
Legislature  passed 
an  act  for  the  in- 
corporation of  the 
Vincennes  Universi- 
ty "for  the  instruc- 
tion of  youth  in  the- 
Latin,  Greek, 
French  and  English 
Languages,  mathe-  ' 
matics,  natural  phil- 
osophy, ancient  and 
modern  h  i  s  t  o  r  yt 
moral  philosophy, 
logic,  rhetoric  and 
the  law  of  nature 
and  nations." 

In    1808    provision 
was  made  for  the  im- 
provement    of     the- 
school  lands  by  au- 
thorizing the  execu- 
tion  of  leases   through    the   various    common 
pleas  courts.    Under  an  act  passed  in  1810  the 
courts  were  authorized  to  appoint  trustees  of 
school  lands  ini  the  various  counties.     The  first, 
second  and  third  sections  of  the  state  consti- 
tution of  1816  required  the  Legislature  to  pro- 
vide for  the  improvement  of  school  lands,  to- 
pi-event their  sale  prior  to  1820  and  to  adopt 
measures  for  the  security  and  proper  adminis- 
tration of  all  school  funds.      In  the  9th  article 
it  was  provided  that  "It  shall  be  the  duty  of 
the   General   Assembly,   as    soon    as    circum- 
stances will  permit,  to  provide  by  law  for  a 
general  system   of  education,  ascending,   in  a 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


85 


regular  gradation,  from  township  schools  to  a 
State  University,  wherein  tuition  shall  be 
.gratis,  and  equally  open  to  all." 

In  this  connection,  probably  the  account  of 
the  origin  and  progress  of  that  institution  as 
given  in  its  announcement  for  the  year  1901, 
•could  not  be  improved  upon.  It  is  as  follows: 

"The  existence  of  the  Viiicennes  University 
ds  due  to  the  ordinance  of  1787,  for  the  govern- 
ment of  the  territory  n'orth-west  of  the  Ohio. 
That  document  contained  the  following  signifi- 
•cant  paragraph:  'Religion,  morality  and 
knowledge  being  necessary  to  good  govern- 
ment and  the  happiness  of  mankind,  schools 
-anti  the  means  of  education  shall  forever  be 
•encouraged.'  This  expression  of  Congress  set 
the  tone  for  the  future  management  of  this 
territory,  and  the  act  parsed  March  26,  1804, 
governing  the  disposal  of  public  lands  therein, 
provided  that  the 


following  out  the  same  policy,  the  Indiana  Ter- 
ritorial Legislature,  at  its  first  session,  passed 
'an  act  to  incorporate  an  university  in,  the  In^ 
diana  Territory,  to  be  called  and  known  by  the 
name  and  style  of  Vincennes  University.  This 
was  approved  by  the  governor,  William  Henry 
Harrison,  November  29,  1806.  The  first  board 
of  trustees  was  named  in  the  act  as  follows: 

William  Henry  Harrison,  Ellas  McNamee, 
John  Gibson,  Henry  Vanderburg,  Francis  Vigo, 
Waller  Taylor,  Jacob  Kuykendall,  Nathaniel 
Ewing,  John  Badollet,  Luke  Decker,  John  Rice 
Jones,  Samuel  Gwathmej,  George  Wallace,  Jr., 
John  Johnson,  William  Bullitt. 

"These  trustees  were  authorized  to  found  an 
University  'within  the  borough  of  Vincennes 
and  to  appoint  to  preside  over  and  govern  it  a 
president  and  not  exceeding  four  professors  for 
the  instruction  of  youth  in  Latins,  Greek, 


flection  numbered 
sixteen  'shall  be  re- 
served in  each 
township  for  the 
support  of  schools 
within  the  same.' 
The  same  act  pro- 
vided that  in  each 
of  the  three  land 
districts  (Detroit, 
Kaskaskia  and  Vin- 
cenneo),  an  tire 
township  was  'to 
be  located  by  the 
secretary  of  the 
treasury  for  the 
use  of  a  seminary 
of  learning.' 

"In  obedience  to 
this  act,  Albert 
G-allatin,  secretary 
of  the  treasury, 
chose  township  No. 
2  south,  range  11 
west,  as  the  semi- 
nary township  in 


Photo  by  Shores 


the  Vincennes  district,  that  is,  in  the  Territory 
of  Indiana.  This  land  is  now  Patoka  Town- 
ship in  Gibson  County,  the  site  of  a  part  of  the 
Oity  of  Princeton. 

"The  Legislature  of  Ohio  had  previously  (Jan- 
uary 9,  1802)  laid  the  foundation  of  the  first 
college  in  the  North-west,  the  Ohio  University 
at  Athens.  With  this  example  before  it,  and 


Residence;.  D.  La  Croix,  420  S.  Third 

French  and  English  languages,  mathematics, 
natural  philosophy,  logic,  rhetoric  and  the  law 
of  nature  and  of  nations.' 

"The  first  meeting  of  the  trustees  was  held 
December,  1800,  which  is  counted  as  the  begin- 
ning of  the  school.  The  work  of  instruction 
began  in  earnest  in  1810,  with  Rev.  Samuel 
Scott  as  the  first  president,  the  elementary 


86 


VIXCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


branches  being  taught  in  addition  to  those 
prescribed  in  the  charter." 

We  are  largely  indebted  to  a  paper  prepared 
by  Dr.  H.  M.  Smith  and  read  by  President 
Hershman  at  the  foundation  day  exercises  of 
the  University,  in  1901,  for  the  following  facts 
in  the  history  of  this  institution  of  learning. 

The  first  property  acquired  by  the  University 

'Photo  by  Tov)nsley 


with  no  better  result,  and  the  institution)  led.  a 
precarious  existence  till  in  1820  the  Indiana 
State  Legislature  passe*;  an  act  appointing 
commissioners  to  take  possession  of  said  lands, 
rent  them,  and  turn  the  proceeds  into  the  state 
treasury.  At  the  same  time  the  attempt  was 
made  to  blot  the  University  out  of  existence 
by  superseding  it  with  the  "Knox  County  Semi- 

nary," incorporated 
under  state  law.  A 

_____         Board    of  Trustees 

of  the  new  institu- 
tion was  appointed 
and  authorized  to 
take  over  the 
books,  funds  and 
lands  of  the  Uni- 
versity. The  Board 
of  Trustees  of  the 
University,  though 
without  a  school, 
or  school  funds,  ap- 
pear to  have  main- 
tained a  legal  exist- 


Residence I.  Lyons,  404  North  Fourth 


was  a  tract  of  laud  embracing  almost  the  en- 
tire four  squares  bounded  by  Perry,  Sixth, 
Hart  and  Fourth  Streets,  secured  by  the  build- 
ing committee  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  from 
Colonel  Francis  Vigo  and  Henry  Vanderburg, 
two  of  the  original  Board  of  Trustees.  A  large 
two  story  brick  building  was  erected  in  the 
center  of  this  campus  2-.:t  owing  to  the  diffi- 
culties attending  all  building  operations  in 
those  days,  was  not  ready  for  occupation  till 
the  10th  of  April,  1811. 

Rev.  Samuel  Scott,  a  Presbyterian  minister, 
was  selected  to  open  an  English  school  in  the 
new  building.  Having  practically  exhausted 
its  funds  in  building,  the  trustees,  in  1816,  peti- 
tioned Congress  for  leave  to  sell  the  19,000 
acres  remaining  of  the  Gibson  County  reserva- 
tion. This  was,  however,  denied  it.  The  peti-  , 
tion  was  renewed  to  subsequent  congresses 


ence,  ami  in 
1838,  reorganized, 
with  Rev.  Thomas 
Alexander,  presi- 
dent, and  George 
R.  Gibson,  secre- 
t  a  r  y.  Measures 
were  taken  to  re- 
cover the  records 
of  the  old  board 
and  to  secure  a  set- 

tlement with  the  borough  of  Vincennes  as  to 
funds  arising  from  the  sale  of  commons  lands, 
authorized  by  act  of  Con'gress.  In  1839  the 
Knox  County  Seminary  Board  relinquished  all 
claim  to  the  grounds  and  building.  Debts  to  a 
considerable  amount  having  accrued  against 
the  property  by  this  time,  after  due  delibera- 
tion it  was  decided  best  to  sell  it  and  it  was 
disposed  of  to  St.  Gabriel's  College  for  the  sum 
of  $6,500. 

The  board  now  took  steps  looking  to  the 
erection  of  a  new  building,  but  in  the  meantime 
rented  a  brick  building  which  stood  near  the 
corner  of  Fifth  and  Market  (now  Main)  Streets, 
and  employed  Rev.  B.  B.  Killikelly,  organizer 
and  first  rector  of  St.  James  Episcopal  Church, 
to  take  charge,  with  one  assistant.  The  lot 
at  the  corner  of  Fifth  and  Busseron,  on  which 
the  University  building  stands,  was  bought  of 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


87 


Dr.  Hiram  Decker  for  $500.  In)  1842  Rev. 
Killikelly,  being  about  to  proceed  on  a 
tour  to  the  eastern  states  and  to  Eng- 
land in  behalf  of  his  conigr egat ion,  resigned  the 
principalship  of  the  .school  and  in  the  following 
year  the  State  of  Indiana,  through  its  Legis- 
lature, made  a  second  attack  on  the  school,  by 
authorizing  the  county  board  of  Knox  County 
to  seize  all  the  assets  of  the  University.  No 
attempt  was  made  by  the  county  authorities, 
however,  to  carry  into  execution  the  authority 
a  grant  of  which  was  th-.is  attempted.  This  lute 
attempt  on  the  part  of  the  Legislature  to  crush 
it,  appears  to  have  aroused  the  friends  of  the 
University  and  the  Board  of  Trustees  to  action 
and  they  immediately  sought  legal  counsel  and 
obtained  from  Chancellor  Kent,  through  briefs 
prepared  by  Hon.  Samuel  Judah,  an  opinion  as 
follows:  "I  am  of  opinion  that  the  Legislature 
of  Indiana  is 

bound   by    the   most  phoio  by  To^vnsley 

imperious  obliga- 
tions of  justice  and 
honor,  to  fhdem- 
n'fy  the  University 
for  this  unconstitu- 
tional arrest  and 
detention  of  their 
property."  Thus 
fortified  the  board 
authorized  its  at- 
torneys, Hon.  Sam- 
uel Judah  and  A. 
T  Ellis,  to  begin 
ejectment  proceed- 
ings against  the 
grantees  of  the 
state  to  its  lands 
in  Gibson  County. 
Such  a  storm  of  in- 
d  i  g  n  a  t  i  o  n  was, 
however,  raised  by 
sJiese  proceedings, 
threatening  to  lead 
to  physical  vio- 
lence, that  the  con- 
testing attorneys  reached  an  understanding  by 
which  the  representatives  of  Knox  and  Gibson 
Counties  were  prevailed  upon  to  secure  the  pas- 
sage of  an  act  authorizing  the  University  board 
to  sue  the  state  for  the  value  of  the  lands. 

The  bill  was  passed  and  suit  brought  in  the 
Marion  County  Circr.it  Court,  wh-n-e  a  judg- 
ment was  secured  for  the  sum  of  $30.<)00.»5<5  for 


that  part  of  the  lauds  already  disposed  of  by 
the  state.  On  appeal  by  the  state,  the  State 
Supreme  Court  reversed  this  judgment.  The 
trustees  then  carried  the  cause  to  the  United 
States  Supreme  Court,  where  the  State  Su- 
preme Court  was  reversed  and  where  it  was 
calculated  the  amount  due  the  University  at 
that  time,  1852,  was  $200,000.  The  state  then 
attempted  to  defeat  the  claim  by  an  alleged 
forfeiture  ot  charter  on  the  part  of  yie  Uni- 
versity. Failing  in  this,  the  Legislature  of 
1855  appropriated  $66,565  in  payment  for 
"lands  already  sold."  After  further  litigation, 
a  further  sum  of  $41,5(35  was  appropriated  but 
from  this  sum  the  University  was  required  to 
pay  all  t'he  costs  of  the  litigation;  from  the  first 
appropriation  the  attorneys  retained  one-third, 
so  that  less  than  half  the  amount  actually  due, 
according  to  the  decision  of  the  U.  S.  Supreme 


Residence  Judge  O.  H.  Cobb,  324  Broadway 


Court,  was  received.  Finally,  in  1895,  a  fur- 
ther appropriation  of  .$ir>,<>(><)  was  made,  and 
Mil  effort  nuiile  to  secure  ;i  formal  release  of  the 
state  from  further  obligation,  but  this  the 
board  declined  to  grant.  Again,  after  a  hard 
fight  in  IS!)!),  conducted  by  Senator  Purcell,  in 
the  Senate,  and  RepreM  ntatives  Willoughby 
and  Claycomb  in  the  House,  an  appropriation 


88 


VINCENXES   IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


of  $120,000  '  ate  4  per  cent,  bonds  was 
made,  passii^  ch  houses  by  overwhelming 
majorities,  but  Governor  Mount  declined  to 
sign  the  bill,  and  it  failed  to  become  a  law. 
The  matter  was  again  pressed  to  the  attention 
of  the  Legislature  at  its  next  session,  but  with- 
out success. 
While  this  litigation  has  been  in  progress,  the 


Residence  W.  B.  Purcell,  5J6  Busseron 


Board  of  Trustees  -has  not  been  idle.  Having 
come  into  possession  of  a  good  brick  building 
on  their  lot,  erected  by  an  arranegment  with 
the  county  commissioners,  the  school  was  in 
1856  reinstated  with  Rev.  R.  M.  Chapman  as 
president,  and  since  that  time  has  had  a  con- 
tinuous existence  and  a  constant  growth  in  im- 
portance and  influence.  In  the  year  1856,  the 
trustees  bought  the  lot  at  the  south  corner  of 
Fifth  and  Busseron  and  erected  thereon  a 
building  for  a  female  department.  This  separ- 
ate department  was  conducted  for  a  consider- 
able time,  but  was  eventually  consolidated 
with  the  male  department  in  the  brick  build- 
Ing.  The  lot  was  sold  in  1880  to  Mr.  Christian 
Bberwine  for  $25.000. 

In  1878.  finding  the  school  had  outgrown  its 
quarters,  the  trustees  decided  to  erect  a  new 
and  larger  building  and  the  main  part  of  the 
present  handsome  structure  was  built  at  a  cost 
of  $14,616.  It  soon  became  necessary  to  build 
an  important  addition  which  was  done  in 


1889,  at  a  cost  of  $4,180,  this  addition  compris- 
ing a  hall  and  six  rooms  "on  the  south  and 
west  end." 

In  1891  the  Vincennes  University  was  accord- 
ed recognition  as  a  military  school,  by  the  de- 
tail under  authority  of  congress  of  an  officer  of 
the  army  as  drill  master.  The  first  officer 
was  Lieutenant  R.  C.  Melt,  of  the  10th 

infantry.  He  was 
succeeded  in  1893 
by  Lieutenant  U. 
G.  Kemp,  of  the  2d 
cavalry  and  he  In 
1897  by  Lieutenant 
A.  M.  Davis,  of  the 
8th  cavalry.  So  ef- 
ficient and  well 
drilled  was  the 
cadet,  company 
that  on  the  declara- 
tion of  war  with 
Spain  and  the  call 
for  volunteers,  this 
company  was  ac- 
cepted as  a  whole 
as  one  company  of 
the  159th  regiment, 
and  was  in  the  ser- 
ice  for  seven 
months.  Dr.  Smith 
adds:  "This  was  the 
first  volunteer  com- 
pany to  offer  its  services  to  the  governor  of  the 
state,  and  the  only  full  company  of  cadets  sent 
by  any  state  institution  of  learning  In  the 
union,  to  engage  in  the  Spanish  war." 

After  the  Spanish  war  the  military  branch 
was  for  a  time  under  the  efficient  care  of  Mr. 
Lee  B.  Pnrcell.  but  since  the  latter  was  ap- 
pointed to  a  lieutenancy  in  the  U.  S.  Marine 
Corps  the  branch  of  military  tactics  has  not 
been  receiving  attention. 

In  the  field  of  athletic  sports  the  University 
has  in  the  last  three  years  made  an  honor- 
able record.  Its  football  team  has  been  de- 
feated very  rarely  in  the  numerous  contests 
with  various  institutions  of  learning  through- 
out the  state. 

The  present  members  of  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees, officers  and  instructors  of  the  institution 
are  as  follows: 

BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES:  Dr.  H.  M.  Smith, 
president:  W.  B.  Robinson,  secretary:  Joseph  L. 
Bayard,  treasurer:  Hiram  A.  Foulks.  Major  W. 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


89 


P.  Gould,  W.  F.  Townsend,  Ed- 
ward Smith,  R.  E.  Purcell,  Dr. 
W.  M.  Hindman,  S.  N.  Cham- 
bers, Chas.  Bierhaus,  Jas.  W. 
Emison,  T.  H.  Adams,  W.  C. 
Johnson,  Prof.  James  E.  Man- 
chester, president  and  ex-offleo 
member  of  board. 

FACULTY:  President  and 
professor  of  mathematics,  Dr. 
James  E.  Manchester,  D.  Sc. 

Professor  of  Greek  and  Latin, 
William  C.  Hengen,  Lit.  B. 

Professor  of  Science,  O.  M. 
Duncan. 

Professor  of  English  Litera- 
ture, T.  J.  Davis. 

Professor  of  Modern  Lan- 
guages, Mrs.  J.  E.  Manchester. 

Professor  of  Philosophy  and 
Pedagogy,  Rev.  De  Lou  Burkf. 

Piano  Department,  Miss  Mary 
Venable. 

Vocal  Department,  Mrs.  Mar- 
garet Eluere. 

'Photo  by  Todd 


Residence  Herman  Boog,  28  S.  Fourth 


Vincennes  University,  Fifth  and  Busseron 


THE  VINCENNES  Of  TO-DAY 


MANUFACTURING  AND  BUSINESS  INTERESTS 
AND  THE  MEN  WHO  CONDUCT  THEM. 


Having  given  the  history  of  Vincennes  so  far 
as  known  from  the  earliest  colonial  period,  to 
the  present,  we  will  now  turn  our  attention  to 
the  city  of  the  present.  Having  seen  how  it 
was  founded  and  how  it  grew  we  will  now 
see  into  what  it  has  grown  and  into  what  it 
promises  to  grow. 

The  city  of  Vincennes  as  it  now  exists  is  one 
of  the  most  progressive,  energetic  and  growing 
cities  of  the  State.  With  a  population  of  12,000 
thrifty,  intelligent  people,  bent  on  its  develop- 
ment and  advancement,  with  numerous  and 
varied  manufacturing  interests,  with  raw  ma- 
terials for  manufactures  within  easy  reach,- 
many  of  them  at  its  very  door,  with  transpor- 
tation facilities  and  frei.ent  rates  unsurpassed, 
with  a  demand  for  residences  which  an  un- 
precedented activity  in  building  fails  to  sup- 
ply; with  a  board  of  trade  active,  intelligent 
and  well  supplied  with  funds  for  the  location 
of  factories,  there  is  every  reason  to  believe 
the  future  lies  bright  bei'ore  her  and  that  the 
growth  of  more  than  fifty  per  cent,  shown  for 
the  previous  decade  by  the  census  of  1900  will 
be  far  outstripped  by  that  of  the  current  de- 
cade. 

In  the  midst  of  one  of  the  finest  agricultural 
sections  in  the  world,  in  a  delightful  and  salu- 
brious climate,  with  educational  facilities  sur- 
passed by  few  cities  61  its  size,  with  church 
organzations  and  edifices  of  rare  perfection, 
with  excellent  streets  ana  sidewalks,  with  so- 
cial advantages  unsurpassed,  with  all  the  mod- 
ern conveniences  that  add  to  the  comfort  and 
pleasure  of  living,  it  takes  its  place  in  the  first 
rank  of  desirable  residence  cities. 

With  four  vast  systems  of  railroads  directly 


connecting  it  with  ev,ery  great  trade  center  and 
very  low  switching  charges,  in  the  matter  of 
freight  privileges  no  city  is  better  provided. 
Work  soon  to  be  begun  under  government  di- 
rection for  the  improvement  of  the  Wabash 
will  be  of  great  advantage  to  Vincennes  in  the 
matter  of  water  transportation.  With  a  good, 
vein  of  coal  of  superior  steam  making  proper- 
ties near  the  surface  and  within  easy  reach  of 
an  unlimited  supply,  which  can  be  had  at  very- 
low  rates,  the  fuel  question  is  one  that  needs 
trouble  the  Vincennes  manufacturer  little. 

Labor  is  abundant,  both  skilled  and  common, 
and  factories  seldom  find  difficulty  in  obtain- 
ing all  they  desire. 

A  university,  six  fine  public  school  build- 
ings, five  schools  conducted  by  various 
churches  and  religious  societies,  covering  all 
grades  from  primary  to  academic,  furnish 
abundant  opportunity  for  the  training  of  the- 
young. 

Twelve  church  edifices  of  various  grades  up- 
to  $35,000  cost,  with  large  and  flourishing  con- 
gregations, furnish  ample  accommodation  for 
worship. 

We  have  not  attempted  in  the  following 
pages  to  mention  every  business  and  profes- 
sional man,  nor  indeed  any  great  number, 
comparatively,  but  the  various  lines  of  manu- 
factures and  business  touched  upon  will  give 
some  faint  idea  of  what  we  have.  Before 
taking  these  up  we  wi!l  have  a  word  to  say 
about  the  Vincennes  Board  of  Trade,  an  or- 
orgnnization  on  whose  efforts  in  a  large  meas- 
ure depends  the  future  growth  of  the  city,  as* 
to  it  is  in  a  like  measure  due  the  city's  past 
development. 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


91 


VINCENNES  BO0RD  Of  TR0DE 


The  Vincennes  Board  of  Trade  was  organ- 
ized in  1883,  the  first  meeting  of  which  record 
was  made  having  been  held  in  the  parlors  of 
the  La  Plante  hotel  June 
28,  of  that  year.  There 
seems  to  have  been  a 
previous  meeting  at 
which  a  committee  on 
by-laws  had  been  ap- 
pointed as  they  made 
report  at  this  meeting 
and  the  matter  was 
laid  over  for  further 
further  consideration 
until  the  next  meeting. 
The  board  of  directors 

Edw.  Watson,  President          ^3    also    requested    to 

report  at  the  next  meeting  on  the  matter  of 
a  "room."  This  was  held  in  the  evenling  of 
July  3,  at  the  same  place  as  the  former  meet- 
ing. At  this  time  the 
report  of  the  commit- 
tee on  by-laws  was 
adopted,  as  was  also  a 
resolution  of  thanks  to 
J.  D.  Cox  for  the  use 
of  the  parlors  of  the 
La  Plamte  House  for 
the  meetings,  and  offi- 
c?rs  were  elected  as 
follows: 

President,    N.    F.    Dai- 
ton. 

V  ice-President,       Ed- 
ward Watson. 

Secretary,  Dr.  George  I>1.  Ockford. 
Assistant  Secretary,  Lewis  A.  Wise. 

Treasurer,  Joseph  L. 
Bayard. 

The  following  board 
of  directors  was  chos- 
en: 

J.  H.  Rabb  G.  Wein- 
stein,  P.  R.  McCarthy, 
E.  M.  Thompson,  E.  H. 
Smith. 

At  the  next   meeting 
July   17,   nine   business 
men     were     elected  to 
membership. 
Without  following  up 

Geo.  W.  Roush 


T.  H.  Adams 


the   work    from    meeting   to   meeting   further, 

which    the    limitations    of   our    space   forbids, 

suffice  it  to  say  that  the  growth  of  the  board 

membership  in  its  ear- 

ly days  was  quite  satis- 

factory    and     that     it 

numbered     among     its 

active   members    many 

of  the  prominent  busi- 

ness and     professional 

men     of     those     days. 

Among      the      charter 

members  who  are  still 

active      members      we 

lote:       President     Ed- 

ward Watson,  Treasur- 

er    Joseph     L.     Bayard,         H.  F.  Willis.  Secretar  ' 

E.  H.  Smith,  L.  A.  Wise,  R.  E.  Russell  and  P. 
R.  McEarthy. 

N.    F.    Dalton,    who    was    at    this    meeting 
C'losen  president  of  tin, 
board,  proved  an  active 
and    intelligent    execu- 
tb  e,    and   he   was    an- 
nually   re-elected  until 
and  including  1890,  but 
m   the  fall   of  1890  he 
resigned     the     position 
ana   was  succeeded   by 
Mr.   Watson,   the  pres- 
ent incumbent.     At  its 
September  meeting  the 
b-jard  passed  a  resolu- 
tion of  thanks  for  his  ;-  A'  Risch 

long  and  faithful  service  and  expressing  regret 
that  he  could  not  longer  serve  them.     At  the 
meeting  held  September  19,  1890,  Mr.  Edward 
W.'tson      was      chosen 
president     to     succeed     __^______^^__- 

President  Dalton,  re- 
signed, and  has  held 
that  position  since,  with 
the  exception  of  two 
terms,  Mr.  Joseph  L. 
Ebner  haying  served 
from  March  24,  1899,  to 
April  30,  1901. 

The  present  member- 
ship of  the  board  is 
about  200.  The  cost  of 
membership  is  $5.00  for 


c 


McCord 


VIXCBNNES  IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


•certificate  and  monthly  lues  of  25c,  payable 
semi-annually.  Since  its  organization  this  board 
has  done  much  for  the  city  by  securing  the 
location  of  factories,  no 
less  than  nine  of  the  im- 
portant industries  now 
contributing  to  the  well- 
fj;re  of  the  city  owing 
thtir  existence  here  to 
the  efforts  of  the  board 
in  that  behalf,  while 
others  have  been  assist- 
ed with  stock  and  still 
others  located  which 
ht)ve  since  been  discon- 
tinued. 

The  first  of  these  lo-  w-  A-  CuII°P 

cated  was  the  Vincennes  Paper  Mill,  which 
was  located  in  September  1886,  and  was  quickly 
followed  by  the  Enterprise  Stove  Company  the 
next  year.  A  starch  factory  was  secured  in 
1888  and  proved  of  great  advantage  to  the  city 
until  its  destruction  by  fi.e.  The  Fyfield  &  Lee 
Woolen  Mills  were  locateu  in  the  same  year.  At 
the  meeting  of  January,  1S89,  President  Dalton, 
in  his  annual  address,  celled  attention  to  four 
industries  that  had  been  secured  through  the 

Photo  by  Shores 


New  Depot  of  Terre  Haute  Brewing  Co.,  First,  bet.  Main  and  Busseron 


efforts  of  the  Board  of  Trade:    the  Paper  Mill, 
Enterprise  Stove  Works,  GJ  over's  Stave  Factory 
and  the  Woolen  Mills,  whose  combined  gross 
output  amounted   to  $2/2,000  and   which  em- 
ployed 270  people  to  w.'tom   the  annual   pay- 
ments     amounted      to 
$77,000,  38J  per  cent,  of 
the    gross    production. 
Tioese     enterprises,     so 
Mr.     Dalton     said,  had 
e.  st  the  people  of  Vin- 
cennes  a  total  of  $13,- 
500.    In  1889  the  Bell  & 
\rmistead  Manufactur- 
.rg     Company     (sewer 
pipe  works)  was  estab- 
'isned  here  at  a  cost  of 
$5000  to  the  Board  of 
Trade.    Another  $10,000  Eugene  Hack 

was  subscribed  to  this  oompan/y  later  when  its 
plant  was  destroyed  by  fi.  e.     In  this  year  also 
the    Hartman    Manufacturing    Company    was 
organized   and   placed    in   operation    and    the 
Baker  Manufacturing  Company  (egg  case  fac- 
tory),  now   owned   and   operated  by  the  Vln- 
cennes  Paper  Company,  was  secured  through 
the  efforts  of  the  board,  so  that  1889  was  a 
red  letter  year  in  the 
matter   of   the   loca- 
tion of  factories  at 
Vincenes. 

In  1893  the  Hart- 
well  Handle  Works 
was  located  through 
the  efforts  of  the 
board. 

In  1895  the  Marlon 
Hardwood  Lumber 
Company. 

In  1896,  the  Inter- 
State  Distillery. 

In  1897  the  Shep- 
erd  Paper  Mill  burn- 
ing of  the  Vin- 
cennes  Paper  Com- 
pany was  organ- 
ized through  the  ef- 
forts of  the  board 
and  the  mills  rebuilt 
on  enlarged  plans. 
In  1899  the  Vin- 
cennes  Bridge  Com- 
pany was  located.  In 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


1900  Roush's  Basket  factory  was  organized, 
and  in  the  same  year  an  arrangement  was 
concluded  with  the  Central  Foundry  Company 
whereby  its  plant  was  ro  be  doubled  and  to 
employ  mot  less  than  250  men.  This  has  been 
accomplished. 

In  1901  the  Vincennes  Window  Glass  Com- 
pany was  secured  to  the  city  and  is  now  em- 
ploying at  good  wages  a')out  200  men  with  the 
prospect  of  a  constant  development  and  in- 
crease of  pay  roll.  In  .1901  also  the  Indiana 
Hantdle  Company,  employing  now  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  fifty  men  at  good  wages,  was 


Population  14,000.  Had  gas,  electric  light  and 
power,  electric  street  railway,  filtered  water 
company,  stand  pipe  and  direct  pressure;  maxi- 
mum power,  90  horse  pcvver;  minimum  power, 
40  horse  power. 

Fire    alarm    system,    with    a    fine    modern 
equipped  paid  fire  department. 
Lines  of  traffic  -rail  and  water. 
Wabash  river  navigabl^  eight  to  ten  months 
of  the  year. 

Baltimore  snd  Ohio  Railroad. 
Pennsylvania  Lines. 

Cleveland,  Cincin- 
nati and  St.  Louis — 
Big  Four. 

Evansville  and. 
Terre  Haute. 

Three  National 
Banks,  whose  capi- 
tal and  surplus  prof- 
its amount  to  $416,- 
937.17,  and  their  de- 
posits $2,512,^10.56. 

Rate  of  gas,  95- 
cents  per  thousand. 

Rate  of  water 
maximum,  25  cents 
per  1,000  gallons. 
Rate  of  water  min- 
imum, 8  cents  per 
1,000  gallons. 

Average  rate  of 
taxation  for  past 
five  years,  $2.12. 

Price  of  Bitumin- 
ous Coal  per  ton: 
Slack,  50c  per  ton; 
nut  and  slack,  85c 
per  ton;  mine  run, 
$1.25  per  ton;  lump, 
$1.65  per  ton. 

The  present     offi- 
cers are:    President, 
Second  Street,  South  from  Busseron  Edward  Watson, 

proprietor  of  Union  Depot  Hotel  and  largely 
interested  in  various  manufacturing  concerns; 
Vice-President,  Antoni  S';non,  of  Hack  &  Si- 
mon, brewers;  Treasurer.  Joseph  L.  Bayard, 
president  First  National  liank;  Secretary,  H.  T. 
Willis,  cashier  Union  Depot  Hotel;  Assistant 
Secretary,  H.  J.  Foulks,  'nsurance. 

The  Board  of  Directors  is  composed  of  lead- 
ing business  and  professional  men,  as  follows: 


placed  in  operation  here  ihrough  the  efforts  of 
tiie  board. 

The  board  has  at  its  command  many  good 
manufacturing  sites  convenient  to  water  and 
railroads  and  is  prepared  to  extend  material 
assistance  to  worthy  institutions  of  all  kinds. 

The  board  in  its  literature  holds  out  the 
following  as  some  of  th?  inducements  for  the 
investment  of  capital  het'o: 


94 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


Eugene  Hack,  of  Hack  &  Simon,  brewers; 
Joseph  L.  Ebner,  ice,  coal  and  coid  storage; 
Chas,  Bierhaus,  of  E.  Bierhaus  &  Sons,  whole- 
sale grocers;  Isaac  Lyons  of  S.  &  I.  Lyons,  dry 
goods;  W.  A.  Cullop,  attorney. 

The  various  committ  _•«:!»  of  the  board  are 
as  follows 

'Photo  by  Townsley 


A.  M.  Ford,  manager  of  the  Grand  Hotel. 
MANUFACTURING  COMMITTEE— T.  H. 
Adams,  proprietor  Daily  Commercial  and  post- 
master; An'ton  Simon,  brewer;  Gerard  Reiter, 
vice-president  German  National  Bank;  Francis 
Murphy,  wines  and  liquors,  and  D.  L.  Bonner, 
merchant  and  traveling  salesman. 


Floral  Parade 

LEGAL  COMMITTEE— C.  B.  Kessenger,  C. 
G.  McCord,  E.  H.  DeWolf,  James  W.  Emison, 
all  attorneys. 

ENQUIRY  COMMITTEE— John  A.  Risch, 
general  merchandise;  Henry  Eberwine, 
Thomas  Campbell,  architect;  John  A.  Cox,  lum- 
ber; George  W.  Roush,  lumber  and  baskets; 


July  4th,  1900 

At  the  meeting  held  November  26,  1901,  the 
treasurer's  report  showed  receipts  for  the  pre- 
vious year,  including  a  small  balance,  to  have 
been  $12,561.46.  The  expenses,  including  $8,000 
to  the  glass  works  and  $3,000  to  the  Enter- 
prise Stove  Works,  amounted  to  $11,136.44, 
leaving  a  balance  in  the  treasury  of  $1,425.02. 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


95 


First  National  Bank 

The  First  National  B.«nk,  of  Vincennes,  was 
organized  July  15,   1871    with  J.   H.  Rabb  as 
president  and  J.  L.  Bayard  cashier.     The  first 
board  of  directors  was  as  follows:     Louis  L. 
Watson.    John    H.    Rabb,    Abraham    Glmbel, 
Henry  Knirihn,  W.  M.  Tyler,  Newton  F.  Ma- 
lott  and  Jos.  L.  Bayard.    Of  this  board  only  two 
members   are  living,   Messrs.   Watson 
and  Bayard.     Messrs.  Rabb  and  Bay- 
ard served  uninterruptedly    as    presi- 
dent and  cashier,  respectively,  for  al- 
most   twenty-seven    years,    until    the 
death  of  Mr.  Rabb  in  February,  1898, 
when   Mr.   Bayard   fiecame   president, 
and   Mr.    P.   M    O'Don'nell,    who   had 
been,  in  1893,  made  assistant  cashier, 
succeeded    Mr.     Bayard    as    cashier. 
These  with  Mr.  H.  V.  Somes,  who  was 
elected   assistant   cashier   in  January, 
1901,   are    the    present   officers.     The 
present  board  of  directors  of  the  First 
National  is  as  follows:    L.  L.  Watson, 
J.  L.  Bayard,  E    H.  Smith,  Chas  Bier- 
haus,    J.    L.    Ebuei,    Edward   Watson 
and  J.  E.  Horn.    The  condition  of  the 
First  National,  as  rendered  in  its  re- 
port December  10.  1901,  is  as  follows: 

Capital  stock  $100,000.00 

Surplus  20,000.00 

Undivided  profits   50,429.29 

Deposits    1,009,861.413 

The  First  National  Bank  became  a 
depository    for   government    funds    in 
October,  1898. 
JOSEPH   L.   BAYARD   PRESIDENT. 

Joseph  L.  Bayard  was  born  in  Vin- 
cennes, January  21,  1840,  and  received 
his  education  in  the  schools  of  Vin- 
tennes  and  at  Bardstown  College,  at 
Bardstown,  Ky.  His  first  employment  in  the 
way  of  business  was  as  a  clerk  in  the  Vin- 
cennes branch  of  the  Bank  of  the  State  of  In- 
diana. In  this  position  he  remained  five  years 
till  18G3,  when  he  engaged  in  a  general  mer- 
chandise business  in  Vincennes,  in  which  he 
continued  till  1869,  when  he  joined  in  the  or- 
gani-saton  of  the  German  Banking  Company,  a 
private  bank,  of  which  he  became  cashier. 
This  bank  was,  in  1871.  merged  in  the  First 
National,  and  Mr.  Bayard  became  cashier  of 
the  enlarged  institution.  This  position  he  con- 
tinued to  fill  for  more  than  twenty-six  years 


until  the  death  of  Mr.  Rabb,  in  1898,  when  he 
was  elected  president  of  the  bank  and  has 
been  annually  re-elected  since.  Mr.  Bayard 
has  never  sought  public  office  or  public  trust 
but  has  had  many  trusts  imposed  upon  him 
which  a  broad-minded  pub'ic  spirit  would  not 
permit  him  to  decline.  He  was  ome  of  the  or- 
ganizers of  the  Citizen's  Gas  Company  and  has 
been  treasurer  of  the  company  since  its  organl- 


First  National  Bark 

/atiou.  He  lias  also  been  president  of  the  com- 
pany since  1S98.  He  was  a  charter  member 
of  the  board  of  trade  and  has  been  treasurer 
of  that  body  siace  its  organization.  He  has 
been  a  trustee  of  Vincennes  University  for 
fourteen  years  and  treasurer  of  the  institution 
for  ten  years.  He  is  also  the  senior  member 
of  the  firm  of  J.  L.  Bayard  &  Co.,  one  of  the 
oldest  and  largest  insurance  agencies  in  this 
end  of  the  State.  Mr.  Bayard  was  married  in 
1881  to  Miss  Helen  Burke,  of  Marietta,  Ohio. 
They  have  four  sons  and  one  daughter  living 
and  one  son  doad. 


96 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


Patrick  M.  O'Donnell.  cashier  of  the  First 
National  Bamk,  is  a  native  of  Lawrence  coun- 
ty, Illinois,  where  he  was  horn  on  a  farm,  Sep- 
tember 4.  1865.  He  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  tLat  county.  His  father 
.removed  to  V'incennes  in  the  year  1879  and 
the  next  year  our  subject  became  a  messenger 


BAYARD  BUILDING/.THIRD  AND  MAIN 
In  the  Vmcennes  National  Bank.  He  contin- 
ued in  the  employ  of  this  bank  till.  1884,  when 
he  became  book-keeper  for  the  First  National, 
a  position  which  he  continued  to  fill  until 
1893,  when  he  was  made  assistant  cashier.  On 
the  death  of  Mr.  Rabb  ir  1898,  and  the  election 


of  Mr.  Bayard  to  the  presidency,  Mr.  O'Don- 
nell became  cashier,  a  position  which  he  has- 
since  held.  He  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  J. 
L.  Bayar;!  &  Co.,  insurance. 

Mr.  O'Donnell  was  married  in  April,  1893, 
to  Miss  Marie  C.  Convery,  of  Vincennes.  They 
have  three  daughters  and  one  soni. 

HARRY  V.  SOMES, 
ASS'T.      CASHIER. 

Harry  V.  Some* 
was  born  in  Vin- 
cennes September  24^ 
1866,  anti  received 
his  education  in  the- 
Cathedral  school  and 
the  Vincennes  pub- 
lic schools.  After 
leaving  school,  when 
yet  quite  young,  he- 
was  variously  em- 
ployed in  grocery 
stores  and  elsewhere 
for  some  years,  his 
last  employment  be- 
fore entering  the 
bank  being  with 
William  Davidson, 
books  and  station- 
ery. In  1884,  in  the 
month  of  August,  he 
became  collector  for 
the  First  National 
P.ank.  Since  that 
time  he  has  been 
from  time  to  time 
advaniced  until  in 
January,  1901,  he  be- 
came assistant  cash- 
ier, his  present  posi- 
tion. 

Mr.  Somes  was 
married  in  1894,  to- 
MJSS  Bertha  O'Dan- 
lel,  of  Owensboro, 
Ky.  They  have  one 
son  and  one  daugh- 
ter. 


JOSEPH  L.  BAYARD,  JR.,  TELLER. 

Joseph  L.  Bayard,  Jr.,  receiving  teller  of  the 
First  National  Bank,  was  born  in  Vincennes 
July  21,  1872.  He  attended  the  Cathedral 
school  here  and  later  entered  Fordham  College, 


YINCEXNES   IX    PICTURE   AND   STORY 


97 


of  Fordhana,  New  York  taking  the  scientific 
course.  From  this  school  he  was  graduated 
in  June,  .1892,  taking  the  degree  of  B.  Sc.  His 
first  employment  after  leaving  school  was  in 
the  First  National  Bank,  which  he  entered  as 
book-keeper  in  May,  18!)4.  He  became  receiv- 
ing teller,  January  1,  1900.  Mr.  Bayard  was 
married  October  28,  1896,  to  Miss  Helen  Reily. 
They  have  one  son. 

Photo  by  Shores 


Second  National  Bank,  Second  and  Main 

Second  National  Bank 

The  Second  National  Bank  of  Vincennes  was 
organized  inf  1893  with  a  capital  of  $100,000 
and  began  business  in  July  of  that  year,  hav- 
ing bought  at  receiver's  sale  the  building  at 
the  north  corner  of  Second  and  Main  streets, 
formerly  occupied  by  tne  Vincennes  National 
Bank.  The  first  officers  of  the  bank  were  as 
follows:  Ailed  Tindolph,  president;  G.  W. 
McDonald,  cashier;  W.  J.  Freeman,  assistant 
cashier.  The  preesnt  officers  are  G.  W. 
Donaldson,  president;  W  J.  Freeman,  cashier; 


J.  T.  Boyd,  assistant  cashier.  The  Second  Na- 
tional Bank  has  from  the  f!ay  of  its  organiza- 
tion enjoyed  the  confidence  of  the  public  in  a 
high  degree,  the  men  who  have  conducted  its 
affairs  being  recognized  as  possessed  of  the 
most  sterling  qualities.  Its  board  of  directors 
includes  many  of  our  most  solid  and  conserva- 
tive business  men  and  notwithstanding  the 
financial  depression,  covering  a  period  of  sev- 
eral of  the  eight  and  a  half  years  since 
its  organization,  it  has  accumulated  a 
surplus  of  $16,000  and  shows  a  hand- 
some and  steady  gain  in  deposits  from 
year  to  year. 

The  directors  of  the  Second  National 
are  as  follows:  George  Fendrich,  James 
I.  Kelso,  'B.  Kuhn,  R.  M.  Robinson,  J.  T. 
McJimsey,  G.  W.  Donaldson,  L.  R. 
Boyd,  R.  M.  Glass  anld  E.  Bierhaus,  Sr. 

G.,  W.  DONALDSON,  PRESIDENT. 
George  W.  Donaldson,  president  of 
the  Second  National  Bank,  was  born  on 
a  farm  in  Knox  county,  near  Wheat- 
land,  February  11,  1856.  He  attended 
the  district  school  iu  the  neighborhood 
of  his  birth  and  later  Vimcennes  High 
School  in  which  he  took  the  teacher's 
course.  He  became  a  teacher  in  the 
schools  of  '  the  country  and  continued 
so  engaged  for  twelve  years.  During 
the  time  that  he  was  engaged  as  a 
teacher  he  successfully  conducted  a. 
farm  near  Bicknell.  In  1884  he  em- 
barked in  mercantile  business  at  Bick- 
niell,  where  he  carried  a  general  stock. 
and  in  which  business  he  remained 
four  years,  until,  in  1888,  he  was 
elected  treasurer  of  Knox  Count:/. 
Before  entering  upon  the  discharge  of 
his  official  duties  he  disposed  of  th  > 
store.  He  served  two  terms  as  treas- 
urer, having  been  re-elected  in  1890.  During 
his  service  as  treasurer  Mr.  Donaldson  had 
the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  entire  indebted- 
ness of  Knox  county  wiped  out.  At  the  begin- 
ning of  his  term  it  amounted  to  $86,000.  Soon 
after  his  retirement  from  office  the  Seconl 
National  was  organized  and  Mr.  Donaldson  b ~- 
cMiiH1  its  first  cashier  and  has  been  connected 
with  its  active  operation  ever  since.  He  w:is 
elected  president  in  January,  1899. 

Mr.   Donaldson   owns  and   conducts  a   stock 
farm  of  about  five  hundred  acres  near  Bi  -k- 


98 


V1NCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


nell,  devoted  principally  to  neat  cattle.  He 
is  also  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Citizen's 
Bank,  of  Bicknell,  Ind.,  and  a  member  of  the 
Robinson-Donaldson  Buggy  Company,  of  this 
city. 

Mr.  Donaldson  was  married  in  1878  to  Miss 
Sarah  A.  Gilmore,  of  \  igo  township,  Knox 
county.  They  have  three  daughters  an'd  one 
son. 

W.  J.   FREEMAN,   CASHIER. 
William     J.     Free-       Pho,0  by  ShoreS 
man,   cashier   of   the 
Second     N  a  ti  o  n  a  1 
Biank,    was    born    in 
Washington,     Ind., 
January      3o,      1860. 
His  parents  removed 
to   Edwardsp  ort. 
where  his  father,  Mr. 
Job  Freeman,  opera- 
ted    a     coal     mine, 
whenf  W. J.  was    quite 
small,    and    here    he 
attended    the    public 
schools       till       1885, 
when   his   father   re- 
moved  to   Vincennes 
and  he  entered  Vin- 
cennes       University. 
After  one  year  here 
he       entered       Rose 
Polytechnic       School 
at     Terre     Haute, 
where    he    remained 
till    November,    1887, 
when,  his  father  be- 
coming auditor  of  Knox  county,  W.  J.  became 
his  deputy,  serving  in  tl^at  capacity  four  years 
undor    his    father   and    one   year   under   C.    II. 
DeBolt.  his  successor.     In  1803  he  became  as- 
sistant cashier 'of  the   Second   National   Hank, 
which  position  he  held  t'll  1800,  when  lie  was 
advanced    to   the   position   of   cashier,    on   the 
election  of  Mr.  G.  W.  Donaldson  to  the  presi- 
dency.    Mr.   Freeman  was  married   December 
23,    1800,    to   Miss   May.    daughter   of   Thomas 
Bartlett,  of  Edwardsport. 

JOHN   T.   BOYD,   ASSISTANT   CASHIER. 

John  T.  Boyd  was  born  in  Vincennes  Jan- 
uary 21,  1873.  He  was  educated  in  tbo  schools 
of  the  city.  His  business  experience  began 
with  a  subordinate  position  in  the  Second  Na- 
tional Bank,  which  he  accepted  ini  1804.  and 
he  has  since  that  date  continued  with  the  bank, 


becoming  assistant  cashier  in  1809.  Mr.  Boyd 
was  married  October  25  1895,  to  Miss  Kathe- 
rine  Eastham,  daughter  of  City  Treasurer 
Thomas  Eastham. 

JOHN  F.  HALL- 

John  F.  Hall,  exchange  >  lerK  of  the  Second 
National  Bank,  was  born  in  Vincennes,  Febru- 
ary 24,  1878,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  J.  Hall. 
He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  the  city, 
attending  the  University  fee*  a  time.  In  Octo- 


Main 


Street,  Looking  North  from  Fifth 

IKT,  1807,  he  became  a  messenger  for  the  Sec- 
ond National  Bank  and  was  later  advanced  to 
liis  present  position.  John  is  a  bright,  steady, 
industrious  young  man,  and  apparently  has  a 
prosperous  future  before  him. 

The  German  National  Bank 

The  German  National  Bank  was  organized 
in  the  spring  of  1888,  ueginming  business  on 
the  4th  of  April,  of  that  year,  at  116  Main 
street,  where  it  remained  until  1805,  when  it 
removed  to  its  present  quarters,  the  south  cor- 
ner of  Second  and  Main,  having  bought  the 
building  during  the  previous  year.  The  first 
officers  of  the  bank  were  Selenian  Gimbel, 
president:  Gerard  Reiter.  vice-president;  Dr. 
George  R.  Alsop.  cashier.  The  first  board  of 
directors  was  composed  of  the  following  gen- 


VINCBNNB8  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


99 


tleinen,  S.  Gimbel,  G.  Reiter,  Wm.  Baker,  E. 
Hack,  C.  Hoffman,  A. .Gimbel,  A.  Heinekamp, 
Job  Freeman  and  Dr.  John  W.  Milam.  The 
present  officers  are:  President,  William  Baker; 
vice-president,  Gerard  Reiter;  cashier,  George 
R.  Alsop;  assistant  cashier,  H.  J.  Boeckman. 

Directors — Wm.  Baker,  G.  Reiter,  Eugene 
Hack,  Chris  Hoffman,  Aug.  Heintekamp,  Henry 
J.  Hellert,  Edwin  L.  Ryder,  F.  M.  Mail  and 
George  R.  Alsop. 

At  the  date  of  the    last    statement        ^>Mo 
rendered    the    comptroller,    December    ^^^ 
10,  1901.  the  condition  of  the  bank  was 
as  follows: 

Capital    stock    $    100,000 

Surplus  and  und'ed  profits.         50,000 
Deposits    1,100,000 

The  German   National   is   a   regular 
depository  for  government  funds. 

WILLIAM  BAKER,  PRESIDENT. 
Win.  Baker,  president  of  the  German 
National  Bank,  wss  born  in  Lippe 
Detmold.  Prussia.  September  29,  1835, 
and  was  educated  in  the  schools  of 
that  country.  He  came  to  this  country 
with  his  parents,  arriving  in  Decem- 
ber, 1852.  His  first  employment  was 
as  a  teamster  in  the  construction  of 
the  E.  &  T.  H.  railroad.  He  was  sub- 
sequently for  several  years  employed 
on  a  farm  and  then  for  one  year  drove 
a  dray  in  Vincennes.  Later,  in  1860, 
entered  the  employ  of  George  Kerck- 
hoff  &  Co.,  hides  and  leather.  Here  he 
remained  till  1863,  when  he  estab- 
lished a  hide  and  leather  business  of 
his  own  on  Second  street,  between 
Broadway  and  Buntin.  In  1868  he 
bought  the  business  of  Kerckhoff  & 
Co.,  at  the  north  corner  of  Third  and 
Main,  and  continued  the  business 
there  for  about  twenty  years,  when 
he  retired  from  active  business  for  a 
time.'  He  became  one  of  the  directors  of  the 
German  National  Battk  on  its  organization,  in 
1888.  In  3894,  Mr.  Baker  was  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  bank  and  has  been  annually  re- 
elected  since  that  date. 

GERARD   REITER.   VICE   PRESIDENT. 

Gerard  Reiter,  vice-president  of  the  German 
National  Hank,  is  of  German  parentage  but 
was  born  and  reared  in  Vincennes.  The  date 
of  his  birth  was  Septeiubev  1.  1849.  He  was 


educated  in  the  German  Catholic  and  public 
schools  of  the  city.  His  first  business  experi- 
ence was  as  clerk  in  the  county  auditor's  of- 
fice, which  position  he  filled  when  but  fifteen 
years  of  age.  He  was  deputy  auditor  for  elev- 
en years  and  in  1874  was  elected  auditor  and 
re-elected  in  1878,  serving  two  full  terms  and 
completing  a  total  service  in  the  auditor's 
office  of  nineteen  years.  In  1884  Mr.  Reiter 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  State  Legisla- 

by  Shores 


German  National  Bank,  Second  and  Main 
ture  as  joint  representative  for  the  counties  of 
Knox.  Sullivan  and  Greene.  In  1888,  on  the 
organization  of  the  German  National  Bank,  he 
became  vice-president  of  the  institution  and 
has  held  that  position  to  the  present  time.  Mr. 
Reiter  served  six  years  MS  an  efficient  member 
of  the  Vincennes  school  board,  from  1883  to 
1S8<!  and  from  1889  to  1892.  In  1897  he  was 
elected  supreme  treasurer  of  the  Catholic 
Knights  of  America,  an  office  which  he  held 
for  four  years,  during  which  time  funds  of  the 


100 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


society  amounting  to  over  three  millions  of 
dollars  passed  through  his  hands.  Of  this  great 
trust  Mr.  Reiter  acquitted  himself,  not  only 
with  satisfaction  to  the  order,  but  with  distin- 
guished honor  to  himself. 

Mr.  Reiter  was  united  in  marriage,  October 
24,  1871,  to  Miss  Ellen  Green,  a  native  of  Bel- 
fast, Ireland. 

DR.  GEORGE  R.  ALSOP,  CASHIER. 

Dr.  George  R.  Alsop,  cashier  German  Nation- 
al Bank,  was  born  in  Sperroyville,  Rappahan- 

Photo  by  Shores 


Graeter  Block,  South  Corner  Third  and  Main 

noc  county,  Virginia,  December  19,  1851,  and 
was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Rappahannock 
and  Spottsylvania  counties,  Va.  He  came  to 
Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  in  18f>9,  teaching 
school  till  1873.  In  1873  and  1874  attended  In- 
diana Medical  College  and  next  year  -entered 
the  medical  department  of  the  University  of 
Louisville,  Ky.,  from  whicn  he  was  graduated 
in  March,  1875.  He  soon  after  located  at  Free- 
landville,  Knox  county,  Indiana,  for  the  prac- 


tice of  his  profession,  forming  a  partnership 
with  Dr.  M.  M.  McDowell,  and  remaining  there 
eight  years.  In  November,  1882,  the  doctor 
was  elected  Circuit  Clerk  and  in  the  following 
autumn  moved  to  Vincennes  to  enter  upon1  the 
discarge  of  the  duties  of  that  position.  He 
served  four  years  as  clerk  and.  soon  after  the 
close  of  his  term  joined  in  the  organization  of 
the  German  National  Bank,  of  which  he  be- 
came cashier  in  April,  1888.  In  that  position, 
'he  has  continued  to  the  present  time. 

Prior  to  his  service  as  Circuit 
Clerk,  Dr.  Alsop  was  for  four  years 
trustee  of  Widner  township,  from. 
1878  to  1882.  Having  an  abiding 
faith  in  the  value  of  Knox  county 
farm  lands  the  doctor  has  invested 
largely,  and  owns  a  number  of  val- 
uable farms. 

Dr.  Alsop  was  married  April  20,. 
1875,  to  Miss  Nancy  J.  McClellan, 
of  Sullivan,  Ind.  They  have  an. 
interesting  family  of  four  sons  and. 
three  daughters. 

HENRY  J.  BOEKMAN. 
Henry  J.  Boeckmani,  assistant 
cashier  of  the  German  National- 
Bank,  was  born  in  Vincennes,  Feb- 
ruary 18,1857.  He  received  his  edu- 
cation at  St.  John's  German  Catho- 
lic schools  and  his  first  employ- 
ment was  in  the  bank  of  R.  J.  Mc- 
Kenney  &  Co.,  of  the  city,  inl  which 
he  became  booii-keeper  in  1873. 
Here  he  remained  six  and  a  half 
years  and  was  then  for  nearly  five 
years  bookkeeper  in  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank,  of  Vincennes.  Follow- 
ing this  he  was  for  a  time  with  C. 
H.  DeBolt,  as  book-keeper  for  his 
implement  business.  On  the  or- 
ganiization  of  the  German  National 
Bank,  in  1888,  Mr.  Boekman  be- 
came book-keeper  and  assistant 
cashier  and  has  held  that  position  continuously 
to  the  present  time.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Boeckman  &  Co.,  insurance  agents^ 


&• 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


101 


The  John  LI) ne r 
Ice  Co.  (lately  incor- 
porated), was  estab- 
lished iu  18»U,  iu  tiie 
•corner  of  Chestniu 
and  Locust  Streets. 
It  was  iiot,  however, 
until  1889  that  ma- 
chines were  in- 
stalled,  beginning 
with  a  20-ton  plant. 
The  capacity  of  the 
Vinceuues  plant  now 
is  eighty  tons  a  day. 
It  employs  from 
twenty-five  to  forty 
hands.  Besides  a 
large  home  trade  the 
product  is  shipped 
largely  south  and 
west,  as  far  south  as 
•Cairo,  Nashville  and 
St.  Louis,  and  east 
to  Cincinnati,  xne 
John  Ebner  Ice  Co. 
also  owns  plants  at 
Washington,  Ind., 
and  at  Seymour  and 
and  Martinsville,  the 
combined  capacity 
of  the  foul)  plants'  be- 
ing 200  tons.  Large 
cold  storage  plants 
are  operated  at  Vin- 
cennes  and  Seymour 
and  a  smaller  one  at 
Washington.  The 
company  buys  ap- 
ples largely  for  stor- 
age, besides  doing  a 
storage  custom  busi- 
ness. 

Mr.  Joseph  Ebner, 
manager  of  the  Vin- 
•cennes  plant,  is  a 
progressive  public 
spirited  man.  a  lead- 
er in  every  move- 
ment for  the  en- 
largement and  de- 


velopment of  the  city.    He  was  president  of  fhe      board  of  trade  for  the  year  1899  and 


1900. 


102 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


The  Eagle  Brewery. 

The  Eagle  Brewery,  Hack  &  Simon  proprie- 
tors, was  established  in  1875,  when  the  firm 
was  organized  and  bought  a  small  brewery 
that  had  been  operated  by  John  Ebner.  A  large 
amount  of  money  was  at  once  spent  in  enlarg- 


ways  been  prominently  identified  with  public 
affairs  and  is  largely  interested  in  many  of  the 
prominent  manufacturing  institutions  of  the 
city.  He  is  a  director  of  the  German  National 
Bank  and  of  the  Vincennes  Board  of  Trade. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education 
of  the  city. 


THE  EAGLE  BREWERY— Hack  &  Simon,  Proprietors 


ing  it.  A  number  of  new  buildings  were  erect- 
ed, th«  plant  thoroughly  modernized  and  made 
the  equal  of  any  in  this  section.  The  build- 
ings cover  several  acres  of  ground  and  are 
built  on  the  most  approved  plans  and  the  most 
substantial  manner.  From  a  small  beginning, 
under  intelligent  and  progressive  management, 
the  business  of  the  Eagle  Brewery  has  grown 
to  large  proportions.  The  number  of  men  em- 
ployed is  about  twenty-five  and  the  product  of 
the  brewery  is  sold  over  a  radius  of  one  hun- 
dred miles  or  more  in  every  direction.  The 
chief  brands  of  bottle  beer  are  "Elite,"  "Ex- 
port" and  "Erlanger." 

Eucenp  Hack  was  born  in  Wurtemburg.  Ger- 
many. Nov.  18,  1840,  and  came  to  this  country 
in  1807,  and  to  Yincennes  in  1868.  He  entered 
the  employ  of  Edward  Weisert  in  a  grocery 
store  where  he  remained  for  six  years,  having 
bought  the  brewery  some  time  before  leaving 
the  employ  of  Mr.  Weisert.  Mr.  Hack  has  al- 


Mr.  Hack  was  married  in  May,  1873,  to  Miss 
Dora  Hackman,  of  Vincennes.  They  have  two 
sons  and  four  daughters. 

Anton  Simon  was  born  in  Alsace,  France, 
(now  Germany),  Nov.  2,  1848,  and  came  to 
America,  direct  to  Vincennes,  in  1862.  After 
his  arrival  here  he  was  for  a  six  months  in  the 
employ  of  Theodore  Huslage.  He  subsequently 
was  in  the  employ  of  William  Busse,  grocer, 
for  five  years  and  a  number  of  years  with  John 
Ebner  in  his  brewery.  He  then  embarked  in  a 
confectionery  business  which  he  continued  for 
si  bout  three  years,  till  1874,  when  the  partner- 
ship with  Mr.  Hack  was  formed.  Like  his 
partner.  Mr.  Simon  is  an  enterprising  and  pub- 
lic spirited  man.  He  is  Vice  President  of  tfie 
Board  of  Trade.  Mr.  Simon  was  married  in 
I860,  to  Miss  Caroline,  daughter  of  John  Ebner, 
of  Vincennes.  He  was  a  second  time  married, 
in  1876,  to  Miss  Anna  Weisenberger,  of  Vin- 
cennes. They  'have  two  sons  and  two  daughters 
• 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


103 


The  Vincennes  Window  Glass  Company. 

The  Vincenues  Win- 
dow Glass  Company 
was  organized  at  Al- 
bany, Ind.,  April,  1901, 
by  a  number  of  men, 
most  of  whom  are  ex- 
perienced in  the  glass 
industry. 

The  factory,  which  is 
built  upon  the  most  ap- 
proved plans,  including 
every  known  improve- 
ment and  appliance,  in- 
cluding producer  gas,  is 
up  to  date  in  every  particular. 

The  tank,  which  is  of  the  latest  design,  and 
of  twenty-four  blowers  capacity,  was  erected 
in  the  summer  of  1901. 

The  manufacture  of  window  glass,  the  sole 
product  of  this  factory,  was  b.^gun  Nov.  1,  1901, 
and  it  makes  a  quality  of  glass  that  is  nowhere 
excelled. 

This  fact,  coupled  with  the  large  business 
acquaintance  of  the  management,  has  already 


Andrew  Tuite,  Pres.  &  Mgr. 


and  Memphis,  Tenn.  In  the  West  to  Portland, 
Oregon,  and  Walawala,  Washington.  St.  Louis 
and  Chicago  also  furnish  a  good  market  for 
the  best  quality  and  sizes.  Many  other  large 
cities  also,  are  taking  a  large  amount  of  its 
product. 

The  present  capacity  of  the  factory  is  from 
four  to  five  car  loads  per  week;  and  with  the 
present  demand  for  window  glass,  the  prospects 
are  that  it  will  be  necessary  in  the  near  future 
to  enlarge  the  plant. 

It  now  employs  about  100  men,  largely  skilled 
labor,  and  its  pay  roll  averages  about  .$12,000 
per  mouth. 

The  manager  of  the  company,  Mr.  Andrew 
Tuite.  has  been  engaged  in  the  window  glass 
business  more  than  thirty  years.  Mr.  Tuite  has 
been  uniformly  successful  in  the  business,  in 
fact,  he  knows  no  such  word  as  "fail"  and  is 
still  active  and  energetic.  He  is  thoroughly 
capable  of  filling  the  position  he  occupies  with 
the  company,  as  manager. 

The  officers  of  the  company  are  Win.  Tuite, 
president;  A.  K.  Ilartman,  secretary  and  treas- 
urer; Andrew  Tuite,  manager. 

The  directors  are:      A.  P.  Hartman,  Andrew 


VINCENNES  WINDOW  GLASS  COMPANY  PLANT 
resulted  in  sales  over  a  broad  range  of  terri-       Tuite.    Wm.    Tuite,    Joseph    Baures,    Sr.,    John 


tory,  extending  in  the  North  to  Duluth.  Minn., 
and  in  the  South  to  Jackson,  Miss.,  Macon.  d'a., 


Middlehurst,    John    Tuite,   John   Wenzel,    Fred 
Perkins,  and  Thomas  Dixon.        • 


104 


YINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


105 


The  Vincennes  Paper  Company. 

The  Yinceuues  paper  Co.  was  established  in 
188(3,  by  Jacob  Sheperd  and  Mrs.  S.  T.  Cottrill, 
of  Urbana,  Ohio.  After  being  in  successful 
operation  for  several  years  1he  plant  was  de- 
stroyed by  flie  in  180o  and  in  the  following  year 
the  company  was  incorporated  and  a  new  and 
enlarged  plant  erected.  Of  the  new  organiza- 
tion A.  M.  Sheperd  became  president  and  E.  S. 
Sheperd,  secretary  and  treasurer,  and  they 
have  continued  to  hold  the  same  offices  to  the 
present  time. 

The  product  of  the  mills  is  straw  board,  of 
which  it  makes  a  superior  quality,  and  its  ca- 
pacity is  fifteen  tons  daily.  Its  product  is  sold 
in  all  parts  of  the  country,  reaching  westward 
to  California  and  to  all  parts  of  the  east  and 
south  and  northward  into  Canada.  The  com- 
pany employs  about  forty  hands  and  consumes 
iaimense  quantities  of  straw  from  the  farms 
and  waste  paper  from  the  city,  providing  a 
ready  cash  market  for  substances  that  would 
otherwise  be  almost  valueless. 


The  Vincennes  Egg  Case  Company. 

The  Vincennes  Eg?  Case  Company,  organized 
in  1891  for  the  manufacture  of  straw  board 
fillers  for  egg  cases,  is  an  industry  of  consider- 
able importance  to  the  city,  giving  employ- 
ment to  an  average  of  something  like  fifty  peo- 
ple. mostly  girls.  The  company  was  incorpor- 
ated in  1900.  The  officers  are  A.  M.  Sheperd, 
president,  and  E.  S.  Sheperd,  secretary  and 
treasurer.  The  capacity  of  its  factory  is  about 
3.500  sets  of  fillers  daily,  nsing  board  made  by 
the  Yincennes  Paper  Mills.  It  has  built  up  a 
trndo  that  reaches  to  the  limits  of  the  United 
States  and  Canada,  and  finds  no  difficulty  in 
disposing  of  its  entire  outpnt  as  rapidly  as  it 
•can  be  produced. 


The  Vincennes  Bridge  Company. 

The  Yincennes  Bridge  Co..  manufacturers  of 
bridges  of  every  character,  and  structural  work 
in  iron  and  steel,  was  organized  in  January, 
1899,  with  the  following  officers,  who  have  con- 
tinued to  the  present  time  without  change: 
John  T.  Oliphant.  president:  J.  L.  Riddle,  secre- 
tary; F.  L.  Oliphant.  treasurer.  These  are  the 
only  stockholders  in  the  concern.  Before  de- 
ciding on  Yincennes  as  a  location  for  the  busi- 


ness, President  Oliphant  spent  six  months  trav- 
eling in  ten  or  twelve  states,  examining  many 
sites  and  considering  many  propositions,  some 
of  which,  in  the  way  of  bonuses,  were  much 
superior  to  the  inducements  offered  by  Vin- 
cennes, but  finally  decided  that  the  advantages 
possessed  by  Vincennes  were  so  great  as  to  out- 
weigh all  other  inducements  offered,  and  accord- 
ingly fixed  upon  this  location.  The  character 
of  the  work  done  by  this  company  is  such  as 
to  give  en/tire  satisfaction  and  the  business  has 
developed  rapidly.  For  the  past  year  the  com- 
pany has  been  unable  to  keep  up  with  its  or- 
ders and  has  been  compelled  to  increase  the 
capacity  of  its  plant  to  which  end  a  large  addi- 
tion ?s  now  nearing  completion.  New  machin- 
ery will  be  installed  and  the  force  of  workmen 
increased. 

John  T.  and  F.  L.  Oliphant,  brothers,  were 
born  at  Buena  Vista,  Indiana.  J.  T.  Oliphant 
first  went  into  the  hardware  business  and  sub- 
sequently in  real  estate.  After  two  years  in  the 
latter  business  became  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  New  Castle  Bridge  Co.,  in  1894.  Of  this 
company  he  was  vice  president,  and  secretary 
until  1898,  when  he  resigned  and  organized  the 
Vincennes  Co.  F.  L.  Oliphant  was  a  teacher 
for  fourteen  years,  the  last  seven  as  principal, 
three  at  Diller,  Neb.,  and  four  at  Teller,  Colo- 
rado. He  was  graduated  from  the  Central 
Normal  School  at  Danville,  Ind.,  in  1892. 

Mr.  Little  was,  prior  to  embarking  in  this 
business,  a  merchant  at  Cincinnati,  Indiana. 

* 

George  W.  Roush,  Baskets. 

George  W.  H.  Roush 
was  born  in  Hillsboro, 
Ohio,  may  26,  1851. 
He  received  a  good 
education  in  the  schools 
of  that  city,  having 
been  duly  graduated 
from  the  high  school. 
He  read  law  with 
Charles  Collins,  a  lead- 
ing attorney  of  Hills- 
boro, for  two  years,  fol- 
lowing which  he  was  for 
five  years  local  editor  of  the  Hillsboro  Weekly 
Gazette.  He  was  then  for  seven  years  deputy 
sheriff  of  Highland  County,  Ohio,  until  the  year 
1899,  when  he  came  to  Vincennes  and  estab- 
lished a  large  business  as  manufacturer  and 


106 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


dealer  in  lumber.  His  business  flourished,  and 
in  181)0  he  added  a  basket  factory  which  exper- 
ienced a  constant  and  rapid  growth  until  its 
destruction  by  tire  on  the  night  of  June  1'9, 
1901,  at  which  time  it  was  employing  126  peo- 
ple and  making  two  car  loads  of  baskets  per 
day.  He  is  making  arrangements  to  renew  his 
basket  factory  and  will  begin  work  thereon 
early  in  the  spring  of  1902. 

Mr.  Roush  is  the  regular  Democratic  candi- 
date for  Mayor  of  Vincennes,  election  May  6, 
1902. 

Mr.  Roush  was  married,  March  4,  1876  to 
Miss  Cindarella  Chapman,  of  Hillsboro,  Ohio. 
They  have  two  daughters,  Mrs.  E.  F.  Tindolph 
of  the  city  and  Miss  Georgia. 

* 

James  A.  Plummer,  Chairs  and 
Finishings. 

James  A.  Plummer  , 
was  born  at  McCou- 
nellsville.  Morgan  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  October  5, 
1826.  His  mother  dy- 
ing when  he  was  an 
infant  he  was  placed 
with  relatives  at  Mid- 
dletown,  Ohio,  where 
he  was  educated.  He 
served  an  apprentice- 
ship to  the  trade  of 
chairmaker  in  Cin- 
cinnati, where  he  was  an  active  member  of  the 
volunteer  fire  department  for  ten  years.  Mr. 
Plummer  came  to  Vincennes  in  May,  1854,  and 
was  for  five  years  employed  as  a  cabinet 
maker,  following  which  he  was  for  five  years 
employed  in  the  woodwork  department  of  the 
O.  &  M.  shops.  He  then  embarked  in  the  manu- 
facture of  chairs  and  house  finishing  lumber, 
which  he  has  continued  to  the  present  time 
Ho  makes  oak  dining  room  and  double  cane 
chairs  and  everything  in  the  way  of  finishings 
for  houses.  His  chairs  wherever  known  are 
popular  because  of  their  high  quality  and  dura- 
bility. He  employs  from  seven  to  twelve  men 
at  good  wages. 

Mr.  Plummer  was  married,  in  1851,  to  Miss 
Esther  M.  Jackson,  of  Cincinnati.  They  have 
one  daughter.  Mrs.  J.  W.  Shaw,  of  Chicago. 


Central  Foundry. 

The  Central  Foundry  Co.  is  one  of  Vinceuues' 
most  important  industries.  Its  location  here 
was  in  a  large  measure  due  to  a  chance  meeting 
in  Louisville,  Ky.,  of  William  Warner,  of  the 
lirm  of  Matthew  Addy  &  Co.,  of  Cincinnati, 
with  Alfred  Bell  and  William  J.  Armistead. 
They  were  contemplating  the  organization  of 
a  company  for  the  manufacture  of  sewer  pipe 
and  looking  for  a  location.  Mr.  Warner,  who 
was  impressed  with  the  superior  advantages  of- 
fered by  Vincennes  for  such  an  institution,  sug- 
gested the  propriety  of  their  locating  here. 
They  took  the  matter  under  advisement  and 
after  investigation  the  matter  was  taken  up 
with  the  Board  of  Trade  here,  in  the  office  of 
DeWolf,  Chambers  and  DeWolf,  February  25, 
1889.  The  result  was  the  prompt  organization 
of  the  company,  the  necessary  stock  being 
subscribed,  largely  by  local  capitalists.  At  this 
meeting  the  first  board  of  directors  was  chosen, 
as  follows:  Edward  Watson,  Eugene  Hack, 
('has.  Rierhaus,  Alfred  Bell  and  William  J. 
Armistead. 

Ait  a  second  meeting,  held  in  the  office  of 
Hack  &  Simon,  officers  were  elected,  as  fol- 
lows: Edward  Watson,  president;  W.  J.  Armi- 
stead, secretary  and  treasurer;  Alfred  B"ell, 
general  manager.  During  the  summer  of  1889 
the  plant  was  erected  and  put  into  operation. 
Rut  misfortune  soon  overtook  the  new  enter- 
prise in  the  shape  of  a  fire,  by  which  it  was 
totally  destroyed  in  December,  1889.  No  time 
was  lost  in  rebuilding.  The  enterprise  of  Vin- 
vennes  capitalists  was  equal  to  the  emergency. 
The  directors  increased  the  capital  stock  of  the 
company  and  the  additional  stock  was  quickly 
taken.  The  plant  was  immediately  rebuilt.  But 
the  struggling  young  company  was  not  yet  to 
have  smooth  sailing,  for  not  long  thereafter  it 
suffered  a  loss  of  $10.000  through  the  failure 
of  a  large  eastern  corporation  and  was  a  sec- 
ond time  the  victim  of  the  destroying  element, 
in  1894. 

In  July,  1898,  the  Vincennes  plant  became 
the  property  of  the  Central  Foundry  Co.,  a  cor- 
poration embracing  a  large  number  of  such  in- 
stitutions throughout  the  country. 

The  company  has  recently  built  large  addi- 
tions to  its  plant,  which  will  enable  it  greatly 
to  increase  its  force  of  employes  and  its  out- 
put. When  the  contemplated  additions  are 
made  to  its  working  force  it  will  employ  about 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


107 


300  men  and  have  a  weekly  pay  roll  aggregat- 
ing more  than  $2,500. 

The  present  manager  is  Paul  G.  Rahe;  John 
B.  Pruilage  is  superintendent.  The  office  force 
consists  of  A.  H.  Rogers  and  C.  F.  Possou,  book- 
keepers; H.  C.  Bultman,  time  keeper;  John 
Herding,  shipping  .clerk;  Miss  Lydia  Busse, 
stenographer. 


union  and  to  England.  They  also  make  neck 
yokes,  singletrees,  doubletrees,  etc.,  for  wagons 
and  carriages.  They  also  handle  rough  wagon 
stock  from  the  mills.  The  number  of  men  em- 
ployed in  the  Vincennes  plant  and  in  the  aux- 
iliary work  in  the  timber  is  05  to  75  and  the 
business  of  the  factory  runs  about  $100,000  per 
annum. 


Vhoto  by  Icrtvnsley 


PLANT  OF  CENTRAL  FOUNDRY  CO.— Sewer  Pipe  Works,  Second,  Near  Portland  Ave. 


The  Hartwell  Handle  Works. 

The  Hartwell  Handle  Works,  conducted  by 
Hartwell  Bros.,  an  incorporated  company,  is  lo- 
cated at  First  and  Seminary  Streets.  The  of- 
ficers of  the  company  are  F.  G.  Hartwell,  Chi- 
cago, president;  M.  C.  Hartwell,  Clifton,  Tenn., 
vice  president;  W.  A.  Hartwell,  of  Vincennes, 
secretary;  C.  L.  Hartwell,  of  Vincennes,  treas- 
urer and  manager.  The  business  of  which  this 
is  the  outgrowth  was  established  at  Delphos, 
Ohio,  in  1865,  by  John  T.  and  E.  T.  Hartwell 
brothers,  progenitors  of  the  present  members  of 
the  company.  The  business  was  removed  to 
Vincennes  in  1893.  The  products  of  the  factory 
are  hickory  handles  of  every  description,  In- 
cluding hand  shaved  ax  handles,  machine  made 
ax,  pick,  sledge  hammer  and  other  handles, 
many  of  special  pattern  for  a  particular  trade, 
as  California,  England,  etc.  They  ship  by  car 
load  lots  to  California  and  throughout  the 


Indiana  Handle  Company. 

The  Indiana  Handle  Co.  is  an  incorporated 
concern  for  the  manufcture  of  handles.  Its  of- 
ficers are  James  A.  Taylor,  president,  Geo.  W. 
Caldwell,  vice  president;  O.  J.  Mobley,  secre- 
tary; T.  R.  Welch,  treasurer.  The  organization 
was  effected  in  May,  1901  and  soon  thereafter 
operations  were  begun.  The  company  having 
leased  the  idle  hub  and  spoke  factory,  reno- 
vated it  and  replaced  its  machinery  with  new 
and  improved  handle  machines.  They  make 
shovel,  fork,  rake  and  hoe  handles,  using  ash 
timber  only.  They  employ  thirty-five  hands 
in  the  mill,  which  force  is  increased  to  fifty  by 
tlie  men  employed  in  the  woods  and  on  the 
roads.  They  ship  their  product  to  all 
parts  of  the  United  States  and  to  England. 
The  present  output  of  the  factory  is  about  1,200 
to  1,4()()  dozen  handles  per  week. 


108 


VIXCEXNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


The  Hartman  Manufacturing  Company. 

The  Hartman  Manufacturing  Company  is  the 
outgrowth  of  a  business  established  in  1889  by 


The  annual  business  is  in  the  neighborhood  of 
$100,000,  bidding  fair  to  show  a  large  increase 
for  the  current  year. 


CJ.  R.  Hartman,  for  the  manufacture  of  agricul- 
tural implements.  The  growth  of  the  business 
was  such  that  an  incorporated  company  with 
enlarged  capital  was  formed  in  1891,  of  which 
J.  H.  Rabb,  now  deceased,  was  president,  Fred 
Harsch.  secretary  and  treasurer,  and  C.  R. 
Hartman,  superintendent.  The  present  officers 
of  the  company  are  Edward  Watson,  president: 
Louis  A.  Meyer,  secretary  and  treasurer;  Wil- 
liam M.  Willmore,  manager;  W.  Louis  Schmidt, 
superintendent. 

The  company  manufactures  riding  and  walk- 
Ing  two-horse  cultivators  for  corn,  cotton,  and 
tobacco  and  a  full  line  of  rolling  coulters  for 
breaking  plows.  It  makes  a  superior  quality 
of  goods  which  find  litle  difficulty  in  meeting  all 
competition  wherever  introduced  and  they  are 
making  steady  progress  over  a  rapidly  expand- 
ing territory.  The  goods  are  sold  strictly  on 
their  merit  and  the  management  never  fear 
any  fair  test  in  any  field. 

At  present  the  number  of  men  .employed  in 
the  factory  averages  about  forty.  They  have 
three  traveling  men  and  a  trade  which  em- 
braces the  states  of  Indiana.  Illinois.  Ohio  and 
Kentucky,  which  are  pretty  thoroughly  covered. 


Vincennes  Galvanized  Iron  Works. 

Peter  Rockford  McCarthy,  proprietor  of  the 
Vincennes  Galvanized  Iron  works,  was  the  sec- 
ond of  a  family  of  seven  children  born  to  Mich- 
ael McCarthy  in  Parish  Fackle,  County  Clare, 
Ireland,  the  date  of  his 
birth  being  March  10, 
1849.  After  the  death  of 
Mr.  McCarthy'?  mother, 
his  father,  with  his 
seven  children,  Peter  B. 
then  being  twelve  years 
of  age,  came  to  Ameri- 
ca, residing  one  year 
thereafter  at  Hoboken,  N.  J.  He  then  removed 
to  Washington.  Ind.,  and  thence  to  Leaven- 
worth,  Kansas,  where,  the  father  later  lost  his 
life  in  a  railroad  accident.  Mr.  McCarthy,  hav- 
ing received  a  good  common  school  education  in 
Ireland,  became  a  locomotive  engineer  and  was 
in  that  capcity  employed  for  eight  years  on  the 
O.  &  M.  railway.  After  that  he  had  charge  of 
a  fire  engine  in  the  Vincennes  fire  department 
aud  while  thus  employed  was  elected  city  treas- 
urer in  1879.  To  this  office  he  was  re-elected 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


109* 


in  1881,  serving  two  full  terms,  thereby  being 
disqualified  under  the  law  for  re-election.  Be- 
fore the  expiration  of  his  second  term  of  office 
he  had  established  his  present  business  to 
which  he  now  gives  his  undivided  attention, 
and  which  has  reached  large  dimensions,  ex- 
ceeding $50,000  per  annum,  and  including  con- 
tracts reaching  into  a  number  of  states,  his 
specialties  being  galvanized  iron  cornice,  roof- 
ing, etc.  In  politics  Mr.  McCarthy  is  an  uncom- 
promising Democrat  and  has  long  been  an  in- 
fluential member  in  the  councils  of  the  party. 
He  served  four  years  as  chairman  of  the  Demo- 
cratic County  Committee  and  has  attended 
every  state  convention  of  his  party  since  he 
became  a  voter.  He  was  doorkeeper  of  the  Na- 
tional Democratic  convention  which,  in  1892, 
nominated  Grover  Cleveland  for  the  presidency. 
Mr.  McCarthy  has  been  for  nearly  twenty  years 
a  trustee  of  St.  Francis  Xavier  Cathedral.  He 
is  president  of  Vincennes  branch,  No.  256,  C.  K. 
of  A.,  and  is  also  supreme  mustering  officer  of 
the  TJ.  R.  C.  K.  of  A.,  and  has  been  president  of 
the  state  organization  of  C.  K.  of  A.  He  is  a 
member  of  Vincennes  Lodge,  No.  291,  B.  P.  O. 
E.  of  which  he  was  recently  chosen/  E.  R.  by 
unanimous  vote.  He  was  a  charter  member  of 
the  Vincennes  Board  of  Trade. 

Mr.  McCarthy  was  married  April  4,  1871.  to 
Miss  Mary  O.  Dubois,  of  Vincennes,  a  niece  of 
Jesse  K.  Dubois,  who  was  for  eight  years  state 
auditor  of  Illinois,  and  a  cousin'  of  Senator  Fred 
Dubois,  of  Idaho.  They  have  seven  children 
living  and  two  dead. 

4* 

-~V- 

Henry  Watson. 

Henry  Watson  was  born  and  reared  in  Vin- 
cennes. He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of 
the  city.  His  first  employment  after  leaving 
the  schools  was  with  Thomas  Lamport  in  the 
lumber  business.  He  was  afterwards  for  four 
years  a  salesman  in  the  general  store  of  G. 
Weinstein  &  Co.  He  then  engaged  in  tin  and 
galvanized  iron  work  with  his  father,  Mr.  John 
Watson,  who  conducted  the  business  at  No.  123 
North  Second  Street,  the  present  location  of  his 
business.  In  1890  he  became  proprietor  of  the 
Imsiness  by  purchase  from  his  father  and  ha5? 
since  conducted  it  at  the  old  stand.  Mr.  \\  ; 
son  is  a  careful  and  conscientious  workman  and 
spares  no  pains  to  render  satisfaction  to  his 
custom.  That  he  does  so  is  evidenced  by  a 
growth  in  business  in  which  he  may  well  take 


Irish   parentage. 


an  honest  pride.  Mr.  Watson  was  married  in. 
1800  to  Miss  Emma  Acker.  They  have  three- 
children. 

* 

James  T.  Orr. 

James  T.  Orr  manufacturer  and  dealer  la 
saddlery,  harness,  etc.,  is  u  native  of  Ireland, 
where  he  was  born  in  1835,  and  is  of  Scotch- 
His  parents,  James  T.  and 
Catherine  Orr,  came  to 
America  in  1837,  and 
settled  at  North  Ver- 
non,  Indiana,  whence  in 
1843,  they  came  to  Vm- 
cenues.  In  1852,  at  the- 
age  of  17  years,  he  be- 
came an  apprentice  to- 
the  saddler's  trade  in 
Louisville  Kentucky.  At 
the  end  of  three  years 
he  returned  to  Vin- 
cennes and  embarked  in 

business  for  himself  and  has  continued  in  the 
business  here  since  that  date,  building  up  a 
large  and  profitable  trade.  In  politics  Mr.  Orr 
has  always  been  a  Democrat  aod  in  religion  a 
Catholic.  He  was  at  one  time  president  of  the- 
Vincennes  Draw  Bridge  Company,  which  con- 
structed the  wagon  bridge  over  the  Wabash  at 
this  place  and  operated  it  for  a  number  of  years 
as  a  toll  bridge,  and  has  been  prominent  in 
other  public  enterprises  of  magnitude.  In  1885 
Mr  .Orr  was  elected  county  commissioner  and 
served  acceptably  for  six  years.  Also  served 
seven  years  as  councilman  from  the  third  (now) 
first  ward.  He  is  one  of  the  oldest  business 
men  in  the  city  in  point  of  time  actually  in  the 
harness,  and  has  always  been  recognized  as  a 
man  of  the  strictest  integrity  and  honesty. 

Mr.  Orr  was  married  in  1872  to  Miss  Mary, 
daiighter  of  Thomas  P.  Beckes.  They  have 
four  sons  and  one  daughter. 

* 

F.  A.  Thuis  Estate. 

The  business  of  the  F.  A.  Thuis  estate,  deal- 
ers in  harness  and  saddlery,  was  established 
by  Francis  A.  Thuis,  now  deceased,  in  1882,  on 
First,  between  Main  and  Busseron  Streets,  and 
was  removed  to  111  Main  in  1887.  Mr.  Thuis 
had  built,  up  a  fine  business  and  was  in  pros- 
perous circumstances  when  death  overtook  him 
in  1898.  Mr.  Louis  Thuis,  the  eldest  son,  who- 


110 


was  attending  medical  college  at  the  time  of  his 
father's  death,  immediately  left  school  to  take 
charge  of  the  business  for  the  benefit  of  the 
estate  and  has  sinte  conducted  it  most  suc- 
cessfully. Francis  A.  Thuis,  the  founder  of  this 
business,  was  born  in  Diedam,  Holland,  in 
Mareh,  1837,  and  came  to  this  country  with  a 
brother  when  seventeen  years  of  age,  in  185i. 
Landing  at  New  York,  he  went  thence  to  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  where  he  remained  some  three  or 
four  years  and  then  came  to  Vincennes.  On  the 
breaking  out  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  he 
promptly  enlisted  in  the  Twenty-fourth  Indiana 
Infantry  as  a  musician  and  subsequently  as  a 
private  in  the  Ninety-first  Indiana,  gallantly 
serving  his  adopted  country  till  the  close  of  the 
war. 

Mr.  Thuis  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Page, 
of  Yineeniies  in  1866,  and  to  the  union  were 
born  five  sons,  Louis  E.,  Francis  Eugene, 
Charles  A..  Joseph  G.,  now  deceased,  and  Silas 
Leo,  and  two  daughters,  Johana  E.  and  M. 
Elizabeth. 


Garrett  R.  Recker. 


Garret  R.  Recker, 
successor  to  Convery 
&  Recker,  conducts 
a  general  foundry 
and  machine  shop  at 
Eighth  and  Hick- 
man  Streets,  has  one 
of  the  most  complete 
plants  in  the  state, 
conveniently  arrang- 
ed and  supplied  with 
modern  machines  of 
every  kind  demand- 
ed by  his  trade.  His 
shops  employ  from 
14  to  20  men  and  do 
everything  in  the 
line  comprehended 
in  a  general  foun- 
der and  m  a  c  h  i  n- 
ists'  business.  Mr. 
Recker  is  not  only  a 
thorough  master-ma- 
chinist but  a  very 
careful  superintend- 


thus  that  a  tine  business  was  built  up  by  the 
firm  of  Convery  &  Recker,  to  which  Mr.  Recker 
succeeded  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Convery  in  Janu- 
ary, 1902. 

Garret  R.  Recker  was  born  in  Vincennes 
March  2,  1865,  and  was  educated  in  the  city 
schools.  At  the  age  of  15,  in  1880,  he  entered 
the  machine  shop  of  Clark  &  Buck  to  learn 
the  trade  of  machinist  and  continued  in  their 
employ  until  the  year  1893,  thirteen  years.  In 
that  year  he  and  August  Convery,  also  an  em- 
ploye of  Clark  &  Buck  for  many  years,  formed 
a  partnership  and  established  a  small  shop 
near  the  corner  of  Eighth  and  Hickman.  The 
business  grew  from  year  to  year  until  they 
were  finally,  in  1900,  compelled  to  erect  the 
large  brick  building  now  occupied,  and  a  cut 
of  which  appears  herewith. 

Mr.  Recker  was  married  February  7,  1888,  to 
Miss  Mary  E.  Ritman,  of  Newton,  111.  They 
have  four  sons  and  two  daughters. 

4* 
John  B.  Page. 

J.  B.  Page  was  born  in  Vincennes,  June  13, 
1847.  He  became  an  apprentice  to  the  harness 
and  saddlery  trade  with  the  firm  of  Page  &  Orr 


GARRETT  R.  RECKER'S  MACHINE  SHOP  AND  FOUNDRY 

ent  and  permits  no  work  to  go  out  of  his  shop      about  1862,   completing  his    apprenticeship    in 
that  is  not  fully  up  to  the  requirements.    It  was       18(56.     He  then  entered  the  employ  of  Page  & 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND  STORY 


111 


Orr  as  a  journeyman  and  Continued  with  them 
until  the  dissolution  of  the  firm  in  1873,  after 
Avhieh  he  was  employed  by  his  father  until 
1882,  when  he  became  proprietor  of  the  busi- 


ness by  purchase.  Mr.  Page's  large  experience 
in  the  business  makes  him  a  thoroughly  com- 
petent man  in  every  department.  He  has  his 
full  share  of  the  trade  and  we  do  not  hesitate 
to  say  that  all  who  trade  with  him  get  full 
value  for  their  money.  Mr.  J.  N.  Page,  son  of 
our  subject,  is  with  him  and  has  been  for  five 
years  and  is  a  thorough  master  of  the  trade. 
He  operates  a  Landis  harness  sewing  machine 


which  Mr.  Page  has  recently  added  to  his  equip- 
ment and  which  does  work  equal  and  even  su- 
perior to  hand  work.  This  work,  as  all  of  Mr. 
1 'age's  work,  is  fully  guaranteed.  He  invites 
all  who  are  interested  to  call  and  inspect  this 
new  harness  machine  and  will  gladly  show 
them  how  it  works.  Mr.  Page  appreciates  the 
patronage  of  his  friends,  is  at  all  times  genial 
and  pleasant  and  glad  to  receive  callers 
whether  purchasers  or  not.  When  absent  his 
son  will  be  found  abundantly  able  to  represent 
him  whether  in  the  salesroom  or  otherwise. 

Mr.  Page  was  married.  April  23,  1873,  to  Miss 
Mary  L.  Brouilette,  of  Vincennes,  and  has  two 
i-hildren.  Mrs.  W.  A.  Courter  and  J.  N.  Page, 
both  of  the  city.  Two  children  died  in  infancy. 

Broadway  Mills. 

The  Broadway  Mills,  owned  and  operated  by 
Christian  Hoffman1,  have  r(  capacity  of  350  bar- 
rels first  grade  flour  per  day,  which  is  sold 
throughout  the  country.  They  employ  steadily 
from  eight  to  ten  men. 

Atlas  Mills. 

J.  &  S.  Emison.  proprietors.  Established 
1880.  Large  dealers  in  grain.  In  1901  this 
firm  handled  between  400.000  and  500.000  bush- 
els of  wheat. 

Vincennes  Elevator. 

The  Vincennes  Elevator  Co.,  south-east  cor- 
ner First  and  Broadway,  was  organized  in 
1898.  Does  a  general  grain  and  elevator  busi- 
ness, owning  the  steamer  Vincennes  and 
barges.  Samuel  A.  Jordan.  A.  G.  Jordan.  A. 
M.  Jordan. 

Enterprise  Stove  Company. 

The  Enterprise  Stove  Company  was  organized 
in  1888.  It  is  an  incorporated  company  of  ample 
capital.  .  The  officers  are:  Presi- 
dent. Edward  Watson,  vice  pres- 
ident. Eugene  Hack:  secretary 
and  treasurer,  George  Thomp- 
son. Their  product  is  stoves, 
heating  and  cooking,  gas  stoves, 
ranges  and  steel  ranges.  The 
factory  is  located  at  the  corner 
of  Eleventh  and  Nicholas 
streets  and  employs  about  sev- 
enty-five men.  including  five 
traveling  salesmen.  The  com- 
pany enjoys  a  large  trade,  cover- 
ing Indiana.  Illinois.  Western 
Ohio  and  Eastern  Kansas. 


112 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


INTERSTATE  DISTILLERY— Chestnut  Between  Lyndale  and  Reel 

that  of  the  Continental  Filter  Company,  of  New 
York,  called  the  subsiding  and  gravity  system. 
The  capacity  is  over  2,000,000  gallons  daily, 


VINCENNES  WATER  SUPPLY  CO. 

The  Vincennes  Wafer  Supply  Company  was 
formed  in  1886,  the  name  at  that  time  being 
Bullock  &  Mer- 
cer, No.  11  Wall 
street,  New  York. 
About  1890  the 
property  passed 
into  hands  of 
Walter  Wood,  400 
Chestniut  street, 
Phil  a  d  e  1  p  h  i  a  . 
There  is,  how- 
ever a  consider- 
able amount  of 
the  stock  held  in 
the  city.  These 
works  are  on  the 
standpipe  system, 
also  having  direct 
pressure.  T'he 
stand-pipe  is  one 
of  the  highest  in 
the  United  States, 
being  200  feet 
high.  It  is  22 
feet  in  diameter 
and  has  a  capaci- 
ty of  575,000  gal- 
lons. There  are 
in  use  three  com- 
pound condensing 
pumps,  two  high 
pressure  duty,  pumps  each  of  2,000,000  gallons 
capacity,  and  one  low  pressure  service  pump  of 
3,000,000  gallons  capacity.  The  filter  system  is 


there  being  six  subsiding  tanks  of  35,000  gal- 
lons each.  The  consumption  of  the  city  has  run 
500,000  to  1,700,000  gallons  daily. 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


113 


PLANT  OF  ViNCENNES  NOVELTY  MANUFACTURING  CO. 
Sam  Lyons,  Pres.;  Chas.  Bierhaus,  Vice  Pres.;  John  Hartigan,  Treasurer.    Man- 
ufacturers of  Jewelry  and  Novelties.     Employ  125  people. 


DRY  GOODS,  CLOTHING,  ETC. 
H.  Brokhage  &  Sons. 

The  firm  of  H.  Brokhage  &  Sons,  dealers  in 
dry  goods,  clothing,  gents'  furnishings,  car- 
pets, £c,  is  composed  of  Herman  Brokhage  and 
his  two  sons,  John  T.  and  Louis  A. 

Herman  Brokhage,  the  founder  of  the  busi- 
ness, senior  member  of  the  firm,  was  born  in 
Essen.  Grand  Duchy  of  Oldenberg,  Germany, 
August  2,  1845.  Emigrated  to  this  country, 
coming  direct  to  Vincennes,  in  1866,  when 
twenty-one  years  of  age.  His  first  employ- 
ment here  was  with  Theodore  Huslag,  an 
uncle,  who  had  long  been  established  in  busi- 
ness here,  in  one  of  the  buildings  now  occu- 
pied by  the  firm  of  H.  Brokhage  &  Sons.  He 
later  entered  the  employ  of  J  .B.  La  Plante  & 
Brother,  with  whom  he  remained  thirteen 
years.  After  this  he  again  became  a  sales- 
man for  Mr.  Huslag,  with  whom  he  remained 
until  the  death  of  the  latter  in  1889,  when)  he 
bought  the  stock  and  has  continued  the  busi- 
ness to  the  present  time  having  admitted  his 
sons  into  partnership  with  him  in  3900. 

Brokhage  &  Sons  is  one  of  the  enterprising 
and  progressive  firms  of  Southern  Indiana. 
Without  bluster  or  braggadocio  this  firm  has 
gone  steadily  forward,  enlarging  and  developing 


a  business  that  has  reached  mammoth  propor- 
tions.    Its  stock  now  occupies  two  large  build- 


ings three  stories  high.  They  have  a  com- 
modious passenger  elevator  and  other  modern 
appliances  that  betray  the  enterprising  spirit 


114 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


that  animates  them,  and  it  is  pleasing  to  note 
that  the  growth  of  their  trade  keeps  pace  with 
the  enlarged  investments  and  improvements. 

Herman  Brokhage  was  married  in  1875  to 
Miss  Clara  D  elf  man,  of  Vincennes.  They 
have  two  sons,  those  named  as  members  of 
the  firm. 

Gimble,  Haughton  &  Bond. 

The  firm  of  Gimble,  Haughton  &  Bond  is 
composed  of  Chas.  L.  Haughton,  Frank  M. 
Bond  and  Jacob  Gimbel.  The  firm  was  or- 
gandzed  in  December,  1899,  buying  the  dry 
goods  department  of  I.  Joseph  &  Sons,  occupy- 
ing numbers  202-4  Main  Street. 

Charles  L.  Haughton  was  born  at  Niagara, 
New  York,  and  came  West  in  1867,  spending 
some  three  or  four  years  in  various  parts  of 
Minnesota,  Iowa  and  the  South-west.  In  the 
winter  of  1872  and  1873,  he  came  to  Oaktown, 
Knox  County,  and  was  for  a  year  or  so  em- 
ployed by  a  brother  who  was  in  business  there. 
Embarked  in  business  for  himself  at  Oaktown 
in  1874,  forming  a  partnership  with  Elias  De 
Lashmutt,  under  the  firm  name  of  Haughton 
&  De  Lashmutt,  doing  a  business  in>  general 
merchandise.  In  1876  Mr.  Haughton  bought 
his  partner's  interest  and  continued  to  conduct 
the  business  till  December,  1899,  when  he  sold 
it  and  came  to  Vindennes,  forming  the  partner- 
ship first  above  named. 

Mr.  Haughton  took  in  marriage  Miss 
Emma  C.  Pugh,  daughter  of  Dr.  J.  W.  Pugh,  of 
Oaktown.  They  have  four  children.  Two 
daughters,  Daisy  H.  and  Mary  S.,  now  students 
at  De  Pauw  University,  and  two  younger  chil- 
dren at  home. 

Frank  M.  Bond,  was  born  and  reared  in  Oak- 
town,  Ind.,  and  was  for  a  number  of  years  in 
the  employ  of  Mr.  Haughton  at  that  place.  He 
was  subsequently  for  ten  years  connected  with 
the  First  National  Bank  of  this  city,  as  teller, 
resigning  that  position  January  1,  1900,  to  en- 
gage actively  in  the  present  business. 

Jacob  Gimbel  was  born  and  reared  in  the 
City  of  Vincennes  and  after  leaving  college 
conducted  a  business  for  his  mother  prior  to 
the  formation  of  the  firm  of  which  he  is  at 
present  a  member. 

The  enterprise,  eruergy  and  progressive  busi- 
ness methods  which  luve  characterized  the 
"Busy  Corner"  since  th^  advent  of  this  firm, 
have  resulted  in  a  business  of  which  they  may 
well  be  proud. 


J.  C.  Cohen. 

Julius  C.  Cohen  was 
born  in  the  City  Neu- 
emburg,  Prussia,  Aug. 
3,  1848,  and  came  to 
A.inerica  in  1864  and  to 
Vincennes  in  1877.  His 
first  employment  here 
was  as  salesman  for  I. 
E.  Libshutz  and  subse- 
quently for  other  firms 
in  the  city.  In  1885 
Mr.  Cohen  rmbarked  in 
business  for  himself  at 
No.  106  Main  Street. 
His  business  was  at- 
tended with  marked 
success  frono  the  start 
and  in>  1891  Mr.  Cohen 
bought  and  occupied 
the  beautiful  and  commodious  three-story 
building  at  No.  312  Main,  now  occupied  by 
him,  a  cut  of  which  appears  elsewhere,  one  of 
fhe  best  in  the  city.  By  close  attention  to  the 
wants  of  his  patrons  and  judicious  manage- 
ment, he  has  built  up  and  holds  an  enviable 
custom  in  clothing  and  gents'  furnishings.  Mr. 
Cohen  was  married  Dec.  18,  1871,  to  Miss  El- 
len Keenan,  of  Louisville. 

T.  F.  FRANKE. 

Theodore  F.  Franke, 
merchant  tailor,  was 
born  at  Covmgton,  Ky., 
and  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of 
Cincinnati.  In  1887  he 
went  to  New  York 
City,  where  he  learned 
the  c  u  1 1  e  r's  trade, 
which  he  afterwards 
followed  for  a  time  in 
Cincinnati.  Coming  to 
V'ncennes  February  1, 
1891,  he  entered  the  employ  of  B.  Kuhn  &  Co., 
and  remained  with  them  until  in  July,  1901,  he 
bought  the  merchant  tailoring  business  they 
had  theretofore  conducted.  He  continued  to 
conduct  it  at  the  old  location  until  at  the  first 
of  December,  1801,  he  bought  the  business 
which  had  been  established  by  John  A.  Kapps, 
at  303%  Main  Street,  where  he  is  now  driving 
a  thriving  trade.  Mr.  Franke  is  a  young  man 
of  steady  and  industrous  habits  and  gives  close 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


115 


attention  to  the  wants  of  his  customers.  As  a 
cutter  and  fitter  he  has  no  superior  and  finds 
no  difficulty  in  retaining  the  patronage  of  a 
customer  once  gained.  No  one  e\er  said  he 
did  not  get  good  value  for  his  money  when  he 
dealt  with  T.  F.  Franke. 


GENERAL  MERCHANDISE. 
S.  Risch. 

Sebastian  Risch  was 
born  in  Bernolsheim, 
Canton  Brumath,  Al- 
sace, Sept  7,  1834.  Im- 
migrated to  this  coun- 
trj  in  1854,  landing  at 
New  Orleans  in  March 
of  that  year.  Shortly 
after  landing  he  came 
to  Evansville,  where 
he  remained  about  nine 
months,  returning  to 
New  Orleans  in  Decem- 
ber of  the  same  year.  Here  he  re- 
mained four  mouths,  coming  to  Vincennes 
in  the  spring  of  1855.  He  worked  for  a  short 
time  on  a  farm  and  then  engaged  in  making 
shingles  for  some  months,  following  this  work 
with  a  further  engagement  on  a  farm  for  some 
fifteen  months  in  the  years  1855-6.  In  January, 
1857,  he  took  a  position  with  L.  D.  Smith,  gro- 
cer. After  fifteen  months,  in  1858,  he  entered 
the  geenral  store  of  Roseman  &  Stewart,  with 
whom  and  their  successc;1,  J.  H.  Rabb,  he  re- 
mained until  1867,  when  he  removed  to  a  farm 
near  Vincennes.  Failing  health,  due  to  a  bod- 
ily injury,  compelled  him  to  give  up  this  work 
after  fifteen  months  and  he  returned  to  Vin- 
cennes in  1868.  He  was  then  for  four  years 
toll-keeper  at  the  wagon  bridge  over  the  Wa- 
bash.  In  August,  1873,  he  opened  a  boarding 
house  at  Eleventh  and  Main.  This  business 
was  successful  and  a  few  years  later,  in  1877, 
Mr.  Risch  embarked  in  n  general  merchandise 
business  at  No.  112  Main  Street.  In  Novem- 
ber of  the  same  year  he  bought  the  store  of 
Joseph  Laugel  at  the  corner  of  Tenth  and 
Main,  which  he  has  since  conducted  most  suc- 
cessfully. Mr.  Rlsch's  genial  and  pleasant 
manner  has  made  him  a  host  of  friends,  while 
a  ready  accommodation  of  his  customers  and 
substantial  Inducements  to  trade  have  built  up 
and  retained  a  very  large  custom.  Mr.  Risch 


was  married  May  13,  1862,  to  Miss  Mary  Heller, 
of  Vincennes,  with  whose  companionship  lie 
has  been  blessed  to  the  present  t'.me.  They 
have  eight  children,  three  sons,  John  A.,  An- 
thony M.  and  Joseph,  being  in  business  for 
themselves  in  the  city.  Two  others,  Henry  and 
Lawrence,  are  in  the  store  with  Mr.  Risch  at 
this  time. 

John  A.  Risch. 

John  A.  Risch  was 
born  and  reared  in  Vin- 
cennes. He  is  a  son  of 
the  veteran  merchant, 
Mr.  S.  Risch,  of  Tenth 
and  Main  Streets.  He 
received  his  education 
in  the  schools  of  the 
city  and  entered  the 
store  of  his  father  as  a 
salesman,  remaining  in 
tnat  position  for  fifteen 
years.  In  1892  Mr. 

Risch  embarked  in  business  for  himself  at  Sec- 
ond and  Tecumseh  Streets,  where  he  is  still  to 
be  found.  He  carries  a  general  stock  of  mer- 
chandise, including  groceries,  dry  goods,  shoes 
and  country  produce,  and  has  a  large  and 
growing  trade.  Mr.  Risch's  close  attention  to 
business  and  his  methodical  business  habits, 
coupled  with  a  genial  and  pleasant  manner 
have  enabled  him  to  build  up  a  most  profitable 
trade.  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  in  1895 
he  suffered  a  heavy  loss  from  fire,  which  de- 
stroyed his  warehouses  and  a  part  of  his  store 
building,  he  now  owns  the  handsome  and  com- 
modious building  in  which  he  is  located  with  a 
valuable  lot  adjoining,  and  carries  one  of  the 
most  complete  general  stocks  in  the  city.  Mr. 
Risdh's  high  standing  with  his  fellow  mer- 
chants is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  he  was 
honored  with  the  presidency  of  the  Association 
of  Retail  Merchants  on  its  organization  in  the 
summer  and  fall  of  1901.  He  was  made  tem- 
porary chairman  at  the  first  meeting  and  on 
completion  of  the  organization  became  its  first 
president  for  one  year. 

John  A.  Louis. 

John  A.  Louis  was  born  in  the  province  of 
Hanover,  Germany,  on  the  25th  day  of  October, 
1837.  He  came  to  this  country  with  his 
mother  at  the  age  of  sixteen  year!?.  He  re- 
mained in  New  York  three  years  and  spent  two 


116 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


years  in  Cincinnati,  coming  to  Virucennes  in 
1859.  Mr.  Louis  embarked  in  grocery  business 
here  October  G,  1859,  and  enjoys  the  distinc- 
tion of  being  the  only  grocer  of  that  date  who 
has  been  continuously  in  business  ins  the  city  to 
the  present  time.  His  first  location  was  at 
Eleventh  and  Main.  In  1862  he  removed  to 
the  south  corner  of  Fourth  and  Main,  wihere  he 
continued  twenty-one  years,  removing  to  his 
present  location,  1217  N.  Second  Street,  in  1883. 
He  carries  a  geenral  stock  of  groceries  and  dry 
goods,  and  does  a  steady  thriving  business. 
Mr.  Louis  is  a  public-spirited  citizen  and  ready 
to  lend  a  hand  to  whatever  tends  to  help  the 
city  forward.  He  is  vice  president  of  the  Vint- 
cennes  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Co. 

Mr.  Louis  was  married  in  1860  to  Miss  Cath- 
erine Sachs.  They  have  six  children  living  and 
live  dead. 

•§• 

WHOLESALE  GROCERIES. 
Bierhaus  Brothers. 

The  wholesale  grocery  house  of  Bierhaus 
Brothers  was  established  in  1890  by  William 
C.  and  Edward  Bierhaus,  sons  of  Edward  Bier- 
haus, senior,  of  E.  Bierhaus  &  Sons.  It  com- 
menced business  in  the  building  at  the  south 
cornier  of  Second  and  Bioadway,  now  occupied 
by  the  Koh-I-Noor  Laundry.  In  the  fall  of 
1891  the  business  was  removed  to  Nos.  207-9 
North  Second  street.  In  the  course  of  the  next 
two  years  its  growth  wa.ti  such  that  it  became 
necessary  to  add  to  their  capacity  and  No.  211 
was  occupied  and  a  year  later  213-15  were  in- 
cluded. Continuing  to  prosper,  they  decided 
to  erect  the  mammoth  building  now  occupied 
at  the  corner  of  Second  and  Perry  streets,  a' 
handsome  brick  structuie  eighty  by  two  hun- 
dred feet  with  five  stories  and  basement,  pro- 
vided with  railroad  switch,  elevators  and  every 
modern  convenience  for  handling  their  immense 
traffic  with  ease  and  dispatch.  Ground  was 
broken  for  this  building  in  the  fall  of  1900, 
and  it  was  completed  aoout  a  year  later. 

Mr.  John  W.  Crook  was  admitted  to  member- 
ship in  the  firm  November  1,  1890,  and  Edward 
Bierhaus  withdrew  in  M^y,  1897,  to  enter  the 
retail  trade  in  the  city. 

The  trade  of  Bierhaus  Brothers  extends  to 
the  southward  a  .distance  of  150  miles  and 
over  a  large  radius  in  every  direction  from 
Vincennes.  They  employ  six  traveling  men 
and  have  an  office  force  of  fifteen. 


W.  C.  Bierhaus,  the  senior  member,  was  bora 
and  educated  in  Vincennes  and  was  for  a  num- 
ber of  ytars  employed  i;i  the  wholesale  house 
of  E.  Bierhaus  &  Sons.  He  was  married  in 
January,  1888,  to  Miss  ix>ttie  Watkins,  of  Mt 
Carmel.  They  have  two  children  living  and 
have  lost  one  by  death. 

John  W.  Crook  was  bora  at  Dover  Hill,  Ind., 
May  9,  1865.  He  attended  the  public  schools, 
but  the  loss  of  both  parents  compelled  him 
to  leave  school  at  the  a.±c  of  fifteen  years  and 
make  his  own  livelihood.  His  first  employ- 
ment in  the  way  of  business  was  at  Russell- 
ville,  111.,  where  he  was  engaged  with  T.  J. 
Ford  and  J.  A.  Leonard  &  Co.  He  came  to 
Vincennes  July  17,  1882,  and  became  book- 
keeper for  J.  E.  Sullivan,  remaining  with  him 
until  the  following  February,  when  he  became 
bill  clerk  for  E.  Bierhaus  &  Sons.  In  July, 
1883,  he  became  a  trav?  ing  salesman  for  this 
firm  and  continued  in  that  position  until  No- 
vember 1,  1890,  when  h<;  bought  an  interest  in 
the  firm  of  Bierhaus  Brothers,  and  has  since 
traveled  for  his  own  house,  making  a  total 
of  nineteen  consecutive  jears  in  that  capacity. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  He  is  also  a  nrember  of  the  Masonic, 
K.  of  P.,  T.  P.  A.  and  Li.  C.  T.  fraternities. 

Mr.  Crook  was  married  May  9,  1888,  to  Miss 
Effie  Broyles,  of  Russeilville  They  have  one 
daughter,  Hazel  Gretchea,  and  one  son,  Harry 
Francis,  twelve  and  ten  years  of  age  respec- 
tively. 

E.  Bierhaus  &  Sons. 

The  firm  of  E.  Bierhaus  &  Sons,  grocers  and 
packers,  is  one  of  the  old  and  solid  concerns  of 
Vincenmes. 

Edward  Bierhaus,  Sr.,  the  founder,  was  born 
at  Elberfield,  Rhein,  Prussia,  Aug.  4,  1832. 
Came  to  this  country,  direct  to  Vincennes,  with 
his  parents,  in  1849,  at  the  age  of  17  years. 
His  first  employment  was  at  the  old  American 
Hotel  on  the  site  of  the  La  Plante  House,  cor- 
ner First  and  Main  Streets.  In  1853  he  em- 
barked in  a  general  merchandise  business  at 
Freelandville,  with  a  capital  of  $200.  In  1865 
returned  to  Vincennes  and  engaged  in  pork- 
packing,  conducting  in  connection  therewith  a 
retail  grocery  store.  In  1878  he  bought  the 
wholesale  grocery  of  Gimbel  Brothers  and  ad- 
mitted a  son  to  partnership  unlder  the  firm 
name  and  style  of  E.  Bierhaus  &  Son,  the 
junior  partner  being  Chas.  Bierhaus.  Later 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


117 


118 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


Fred  Bierhaus  was  admitted  and  subsequently 
John  Bierhaus  became  interested.  The  firm 
is  now  composed  of  Charles  and  John  Bier- 
haus. 

The  present  handsome  and  commodious 
building  at  the  east 
corner  of  Fourth 
and  Main  Streets 
was  erected  in  1886. 
A  cut  of  the  build- 
ing will  be  found 
herewith. 

Charles  Bierhaus, 
senior  member  of 
the  firm  of  E.  Bler- 
(haus  &  Sons,  was 
born  in  Freeland- 
ville,  Ind.,  Feb.  13, 
1855,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  schools 
of  Vincennes.  After 
leaving  school,  at 
the  age  of  sixteen 
years,  he  entered  his 
father's  store  and 
has  been  intimately 
connected  with  the 
business  ever  since. 
He  was  for  three 
years  traveling 
salesman,  beginning 
when  seventeen 
years  of  age.  Be- 
sides this  business, 
Mr.  Bierhaus  has 
large  interests  in 


tered  the  store  of  his  father  and  has  been 
actively  connected  with  the  business  since.  He 
was  for  eight  years  bookkeeper  and  was  on 
the  road  as  salesman  one  year.  Mr.  Bierhaus 
was  married  Nov.  22,  1888,  to  Miss  Anna  Gib- 


various  other  Impor- 
tant concerns  of  the 
city,  being  a  director  of  the  First  National 
Bank,  president  of  the  Vincennes  Electric  Light 
and  Power  Co.,  and  the  Vincennes  Mutual  Fire 
Insurance  Co.,  director  of  the  Wabash  Mutual 
Insurance  Co.,  The  Vincennes  Novelty  Works, 
the  Vincennes  Board  of  Trade  and  other  prom- 
inent local  institutions. 

Mr.  Bierhaus  wan  married  Sept.  27,  1878,  to 
Miss  Helen  Busse,  of  the  city.  They  have 
two  daughters. 

John  Bierhaus,  junior  member  of  the  firm  of 
E.  Bierhaus  &  Sons,  was  born  in  Freelands- 
ville,  Ind ,  Dec.  3J,  1865,  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  schools  of  Vincennes  from  the 
High  School  of  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1882.  Immediately  after  leaving  sc  tool  he  ent- 


E.  BIERHAUS  &  SONS— Wholesale  Grocers  and  Packers  Fourth  and  Main 


son,  of  Vincennes. 
three  daughters. 


They  have  two  sons  and 


RETAIL  GROCERIES. 
Bratton-Racey  Grocery  Co. 

The  Bratton-Racey  Grocery  Company  was 
established  September  19,  1901.  The  members 
are  J.  Frank  Bratton,  William  S.  Racey  and 
Thomas  F.  Palfrey.  The  company  purchased 
the  stock  of  James  Hedden,  deceased,  and 
continued  the  business  at  his  old  stand  In  the 
Bishop  block,  at  the  west  earner  of  Fifth  and 
Main  streets.  Messrs.  Bratton  and  Racey  were 
both  largely  experienced  in  the  business,  the 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


119 


former  having  been  for  fourteen  years  and  the 
latter  for  seven  years  with  Watts  Bond,  a  large 
general  merchant  at  Oak  town.  Mr.  Racey  was 
subsequently  for  five  years  in  partnership  with 


James  Hedden,  under  the  firm  name  of  Racey 
&  Hedden,  in  a  grocery  business  at  this  same 
location.  Immediately  1-ofoie  the  formation  of 
this  company,  Mr.  Brat*on  was  for  eighteen 
months  in  the  grocery  butiness  at  No.  423  Main 
street,  as  a  member  of  ihe  firm  of  Bratton  & 
Bouvy,  and  the  stock  carried  by  this  firm  was 
combined  with  the  Hedden  stock.  The  Brat- 
ton-Racey  Company  carries  an  immense  stock 
embracing  everything  that  belongs  to  this  line 
of  business  and  have  a  trade  excelled  by  few 
retail  grocery  stores  in  the  State. 

J,  Fran1!*  Bratton,  of  tne  Bratton-Racey  Gro- 
cery Company,  was  born  in  Xenia,  Ohio,  No- 
vember 3.  1867.  He  catne  to  Oaktown,  Ind.,  in 
1886,  and  immediately  entered  the  general  store 
of  Watts  Bond  as  a  salesman,  remaining  there 
for  fourteen  years  until  M<.rch,  1900,  when  he 
embarked  in  business  in  Vincennes  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  BraUon  &  Bouvy.  In  1888 
Mr.  Bratton  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Leelah  H.  Wortman,  of  O&'rtown.  They  have 
three  children. 

(For  biographies  of  Mersrs.  Racey  and  Pal- 
frey see  Racey-Palfrey  Shoe  Company.) 


W.  F.  Recker. 

William  F.  Recker 
was  born  in  Vincennes 
S-jptember  16,  1862.  He 
was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  the  city.  His 
first  employment  after 
leaving  school  was  as 
salesman  in  the  store  of 
Ernest  Baker,  at  Sev- 
enth and  Main  streets, 
in  whose  employ  he  re- 
mained for  more  than 
tui  years.  He  then, 
October  1,  1889,  embarked  in  business  for  him- 
self at  the  south  corner  Fourth  and  Main 
streets,  where  he  has  continued  to  the  present 
time.  Uniformly  courteous  and  obliging  to  his 
custom,  he  has  built  up  a  strong  and  profitable 
trade.  Mr.  Recker  was  married  in  1891  to  Miss 
Emma  Hickman,  of  the  city.  They  have  one 
son  and  one  daughter. 

Jacob  W.  Casseil. 

Jacob  W.  Casseil  was 
born  on  a  farm  near 
Alexandria,  Madison 
county,  Ind.,  December 
2o,  1840.  Attended  the 
public  schools  and  later 
tlie  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity, of  Indianapolis. 
Subsequently  took  the 
full  course  of  the  Iron 
City  Commercial  Col- 
lege of  Pittsburg,  Pa. 
Ir  the  fall  of  1865,  Mr. 
Cassell's  father  bought  a  firm  three  miles  be- 
low Vincennes,  now  known  as  the  Henderson 
farm.  This  farm  our  subject  conducted 
till  the  fall  of  1874,  when  he  came  to  the  City 
and  established  a  grocery  business  at  No.  213 
Main.  In  1879.  Mr.  Cassell's  business  had 
grown  to  large  dimensions  and  he  bought  and 
removed  to  his  present  location,  No.  123-5  Main 
street  where  he  has  since  been  continuously. 
Mr.  Cassell's  business  devloned  rapidly  and  he 
has  for  many  years  done  a  wholesale  and  retail 
business  in  produce,  groceries,  etc.  Prior  to 
Cleveland's  second  administration  he  did  a 
business  as  high  as  $7o,000  per  annum.  Mr. 
Casseil  had  always  been  a  Democrat  in  politics 
until  the  second  administration  of  President 
Cleveland.  Even  then  party  ties  were  so  strong 


120 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


that  in  1890  he  voted  for  Bryan.  In  1900,  how- 
ever, he  burned  his  bridges  behind  him  and 
supported  McKinley.  For  ten  years  Mr.  Cassell 
sewed  as  appraiser  ot  lands  for  the  school 
fund.  He  owns  thirteen  hundred  acres  of  land 
in  Lawrence  county,  Illinois,  adjacent  to  the 
town  of  Billet,  which  place  he  platted  and  dedi- 
cated. 

Mr.  Cassell  was  in  1874  married  to  Miss  Alice 
J.  Turner,  of  Clay  county,  Kansas.  They  have 
five  children.  , 

Christian  W.  Schultz. 

Christian  W.  Schultz 
was  born  in  Prussia, 
May  18,  1850,  coming  to 
this  country  with  his 
parents  when  eight 
vears  of  age.  They 
came  direct  to  Free- 
laiudville,  where  he  at- 
tended the  parochial 
.-chools  one  year.  In 
1803  when  thirteen 
years  of  age,  he  entered 
the  employ  of  Peter 
Pomil,  a  merchant  of  Vincennes,  with  whom 
he  remained  eighteen  years,  until  1881,  when 
he  embarked  in  business  for  himself  on  Sec- 
ond and  Shelby  street.  Here  he  continued  for 
two  years,  when  in  1883,  his  business  having 
prospered  he  bought  the  lot  at  north  corner  of 
Second  and  Shelby  and  erected  a  substantial 
brick  store  and  dwelling  in  which  he  has  since 
conducted  a  thriving  Dusmess.  Mr.  Schultz 
was  im  1871,  married  to  Miss  Sophia  Laue,  of 
Vincennes.  They  have  two  children  living. 

J.  Herman  Twietmeyer. 

J.  Herman  Twietmey- 
was  born  in  St.  Louis 
December  20,  1873,  and 
removed  with  his  par- 
ents to  this  city  in  1883. 
He  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Vincennes 
and  immediately  after 
leaving  school,  entered 
the  store  of  his  father, 
Mr.  Frederick  Twiet- 
meyer, with  whom  he 
remained  for  a  period 

of  t\velve  years,  till  August  18,  1901,  when  he 
established  his  present  grocery  business  at  the 
east  corner  of  Seventh  and  Seminary  streets. 


His  long  experience  witi  his  father,  who  is  one 
of  the  i.iost  thorough  business  men  of  the  city, 
has  equipped  our  subject  w:'th  a  knowledge  of 
the  business  in  wbich  lie  is  engaged  and  with 
the  demands  of  his  trade  which  insures  him 
a  successful  career,  an  earnest  of  which  already 
appears  in  the  handsome  beginning  he  has 
made. 

Mr.  Twietmeyer  was  married  in  1897  to  Miss 
Emma  Weigelt,  of  the  city. 

M.  Halter. 

Michael  Halter  was 
born  in  Vincennes  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1862.  He  was 
educated  in  the  schools 
of  the  city.  His  first 
employment  was  in  the 
wholesale  grocery  store 
of  L.  B.  Smith,  where 
he  was  engaged  when  22 
years  of  age  and  where, 
being  of  a  steady  and 
industrious  turn,  he  re- 
mained fourteen  years. 

He  then  in  1898  enterea  the  employ  of  Frank 
Krack.  in  a  new  groceiy  store  established  at 
the  corner  of  Tenth  and  DuBois  streets.  He 
continued  in  Mr.  Krack's  employ  till  in  March, 
1898,  when  he  bought  the  business  and  has 
since  continued  to  conduct  it  at  the  same  place, 
where  he  carries  a  large  and  complete  stock 
and  enjoys  a  good,  healthy  trade  in  groceries, 
notions,  etc.  Mr.  Halter  is  a  thorough  business 
man  and  close  attention  to  business,  coupled 
with  fair  dealing,  has  given  'him  a  strong  hold 
on  his  trade. 

Mr.  Halter  was  married  in  1890  to  Miss  The- 
resa Bohnert.     They  have  one  son. 

Lawrence  S.  Bey. 

Lawrence  S.  Bey  was 
born  in  Viocennes,  Au- 
gust 10.  1872.  He  was 
educated  in  the  Catho- 
lic schools  of  the  city 
and  after  leaving  school 
was  first  employed 
when  about  fifteen 
years  of  age,  in  the 
woolen  mills  of  Fyfield 
&  Lee.  Two  years  la- 
ter he  entered  the 
employ  of  Jacob  W. 
Cassell,  wholesale  and  rei  .  i  grocer,  with  v  hoin 


VIXCEXXES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


121 


he  remained  two  and  a  half  years.  Following 
this  he  was  with  Bey  Brothers,  Seventh  and 
Main  street,  for  nine  years-  In  1898  he  em- 
barked in  grocery  business  at  Seventh  and  Hart 
streets,  which  he  continues  to  conduct.  Law- 
rence Bey  carries  one  of  the  most  complete  lines 
in  the  city,  which  is  always  kept  in  first-class 
shape.  Catering  to  the  best  class  of  trade  he 
has  built  up  an  excellent  custom  which  he  holds 
by  an  ever  anxious  solicitude  to  meet  its  wants. 
Mr.  Bey  was  married.  September  29.  1896,  to 
Miss  Mary  Fritsch.  of  the  city.  They  have  one 
son. 

tmf 

CONFECTIONERS. 

William  W.  Cassell. 

William  W.  Cassell.  confectioner  and  caterer, 
,No.  300  Main,  was  born  in  Jacksonville,  111., 
March  16,  1860.  Was  elucated  in  the  schools 
of  that  city  and  learned  the  trade  of  candy 
maker,  which  he  followed  for  some  years  there. 
There  he  was  married  in  1884  to  Miss  Wilhelmi- 
na  Knollenberg  of  Jacksonville.  They  have  one 
son  living. 

Mr.  Cassell  came  to  Vmcenmes  in  1891  and 
soon  afterward  .formed  a  partnership  with  J.  J. 
Dawson,  under  the  firm  name  of  Dawson  & 
Cassell,  and  they  embarked  with  small  capital 
in  the  ice  cream  and  confectionery  business. 
The  business  was  successful  trom  the  start,  and 
grew  rapidly  in  proportions.  At  the  end  of  one 
year  Mr.  Gassell  bought  the  interest  of  his  part- 
ner and  has  since  condiu  ted  the  business  with 
profit  and  credit  to  himself,  seeing  it  grow  year 
by  year  from  a  small  retiiil  business  to  a  whole- 
sale one  of  large  dimensions,  especially  in  the 
departments  of  ice  cream  and  candies  of  his 
own  manufacture.  Being  of  a  studious  and  ex- 
perimental turn  Mr.  Cassell  makes  many  con- 
fections of  his  own  compounding  that  have 
grown  into  great  favor.  To  the  end  that  his 
goods  may  at  all  times  be  pure  and  wholesome 
he  makes  not  only  his  candies  but  also  the 
extracts,  flavorings,  sirups  and  colors  that  enter 
into  them.  Long  since  the  demands  of  his 
trade  required  the  installation  of  a  power  plant, 
to  which  he  has  been  compelled  to  add  from 
time  to  time  as  requirements  of  the  business 
dictated,  until  it  is  now  most  complete.  His 
wholesale  trade  extends  over  a  radius  of  75 
miles  or  more  and  his  chief  consideration,  has 
not  been  its  extension  but  rather  its  detention 
within  the  bounds  of  his  capacity,  his  chief 


desire  being  to  cater  to  the  local  trade. 

An  idea  of  the  extent  of  his  trade  may  be 
drawn  from  the  fact  that  his  consumption  of 
ice  during  the  summer  season  reaches  from 
3.(»oo  to  r-.OOO  pounds  daily. 

Rumor  &  Son. 

The  business  of  Rumer  &  Son,  candies,  con- 
fectionaries,  cigars,  ice  cream,  etc.,  220  Main 
street,  was  established 
in  1893,  on  a  capital  of 
$185,  of  which  $100 
was  borrowed.  It  has 
grown  and  flourished 
from  the  first  and  now 
has  reached  propor- 
tions which  rank  it 
among  the  prominent 
ousinesses  on  Main 
street.  With  a  stock 
and  fixtures  averaging 
from  $3,000  to  $4,000 

and  a  weekly  business  of  from  $200  to  $600, 
the  Messrs.  Rumer  have  no  cause  to  complain 
that  prosperity  has  not  come  their  way.  This 
is  one  of  the  Vincennes  houses  that  discounts 
its  bills. 

Samuel  Rumer  was  born  in  Vincennes  Octo- 
ber 18,  1851,  and  was  educated  in  the  city 
schools,  being  graduated  from  the  High 
School.  While  yet  a  school  boy  he  was  em- 
ployed in  the  Fyfield  &  Erushaw  woolen  mills 
in  vacation  time.  After  leaving  school  he 
learned  telegraphy,  which  he  followed  at  va- 
rious points  for  nine  years.  He  was  also  for 
several  years  in  the  employ  of  Mass  &  Watson 
in  the  Union  Depot  Cafe.  He  was  afterward 
deputy  sheriff  for  a  period  tf  seven  years.  He 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  city  counicil  but 
resigned  at  the  end  of  thirteen  months  to  be- 
come marshal,  filling  an  unexpired  term.  About 
the  year  1890  Mr.  Rumer  removed  to  Florida, 
but  not  liking  the  country  remained  only  a 
short  time.  Returning  to  Vincennes  he  be- 
came proprietor  of  the  livery  stable  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Seventh  and  Fairground  avenue.  Dis- 
posing of  this.  he.  in  1893,  embarked  jn  his 
present  business.  He  was  subsequently  on  the 
police  force,  first  as  patrolman  and  afterwards 
as  sergeant,  but  the  demands  of  his  business 
compelled  his  resignation. 

Mr.  Rumer  was  married  October  16.  1872,  to 
Miss  Sarah  C.  Shouse.  of  Harrison  township, 
Knox  coun-ty.  They  have  seven  children,  of 


122 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


whom  Harry,  the  eldest,  is  junior  member  of 
the  firm  of  Rumer  &  Son. 

Hairy  Rumer,  junior  member  of  the  firm 
of  Rumer  &  Son,  was  born  in  Vineennes  Jan- 
uary 15,  1874,  and  attended,  the  city  schools. 
His  first  employment  after  leaving  school  was 
with  C.  C.  Jones,  traveling  passenger  agent 
of  the  O.  &  M.  railway  for  one  year.  He  was 
then  eighteen  months  in  tine  office  of  the  O.  & 
M.  railway,  the  last  six  months  at  Washington, 
Ind.  Subsequently  he  worked  four  years  for 
the  Hartman  Manufacturing  Company,  and 
two  years  at  Kixmiller's  brickyard.  After  this 
and  up  to  the  date  of  the  establishment  of  the 
present  business  he  was  employed  in  the  con- 
fectionery and  fruit  store  of  W.  A.  Miller. 

Mr.  Rumer  was  married  April  20,  1897,  to 
Miss  Mary,  daughter  of  John  Heller,  of  Vin- 
cennes. They  have  two  sous. 

* 

LUMBER. 
Edward  F.  Tindolph. 

Edward  F.  Tindolph  was  bora  at  Olney,  111., 
September  29,  1871.  In  1871  his  parents  re- 
moved to  Vincennes. 
After  leaving  the  public 
schools  he  entered  the 
Vincennes  University, 
from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1891.  He 
immediately  became 
secretary  and  superin- 
tendent of  the  Citizens' 
Electric  Railway,  a  po- 
sition which  he  held  for 
six  years,  until  after 

the  death  of  his  father,  Allen  Tindolph,  in  1894. 
In  1896  his  interests  in  the  Vincennes  road  were 
sold,  when  he  accepted  a  similar  position  with 
the  Springfield  Railway  Company,  of  Spring- 
field, Ohio.  A  year  later  Mr.  Tindolph  bought 
an  interest  in  the  Virginia  Hotel,  at  Indianapo- 
lis. After  two  years  he  sold  his  interests  in 
Indianapolis  and  -became  manager  of  Hotel 
Emory,  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  This  position  Mr. 
Tindolph  resigned  to  return  to  his  old  home  in 
1900.  In  January,  1901,  he  established  his  pres- 
ent flourishing  lumber  business  at  the  corner 
of  St.  Clair  street  and  B.  &  O.  S.-W.  railroad. 
He  has  always  been  a  Republican  in  politics 
and  an  earnest  party  worker.  In  recognition 


of  his  services  to  the  party  as  well  as  his  high 
standing  as  a  man  and  citizen,  he  was,  Jan- 
uary 11,  1902,  appointed  by  Governor  Durbin 
a  member  of  the  Metropolitan  Police  Board  of 
the  city,  for  a  term  of  three  years. 

Mr.  Tindolph  was  married  to  Miss  Lucile, 
daughter  of  Mr.  G.  W.  H.  Roush,  of  Vincentnes, 
in  1890. 


Robert  0.  James. 

Robert  O.  James  was  born  in  Wabash  county, 
Indiana,  March  19,  1850,  and  educated  in  the 
common  schools  and  at 
the  Seminary  of  South 
Wabash,  Ind.,  from 
which  he  was  graduated 
in  1871.  After  leaving 
school  he  engaged  in 
farming  until  twenty- 
seven  years  of  age.  He 
then  embarked  in  mer- 
cantile business  at  Lo- 
gansport,  Ind.,  where  he 
remained  three  years, 
when  failing  health 
compelled  him  to  dispose  of  his  business  and 
the  next  year  was  devoted  to  regaining  his 
health,  with  entire  success.  In  1881  he  became 
agent  for  the  D.  M.  O.  &  S.  railroad  at  Des 
Moines,  Iowa,  which  position  he  held  for  about 
five  years.  Resigning  this  agency  he  spent  the 
winter  of  1885  and  1886  with  his  parents  in 
Wabash  county,  Indiana.  In  the  spring  of  1886 
he  became  a  partner  in  a  private  bank  at  Hugo- 
ton,  in  South-west  Kansas.  He  remained  in 
this  business  four  and  a  half  years.  Dispos- 
ing of  his  interest  there  in  the  fall  of  1890,  he 
spent  the  winter  of  1890-91  in  Wabash  county, 
and  in  the  summer  of  1891  bougfot  a  flouring 
mill  at  Eldorado,  in  South-east  Kansas.  This 
business  he  continued  till  the  fall  of  1895,  when 
he  dsposed  of  it  and  after  a  few  months  spent 
at  Wabash.  Ind.,  came  to  Vincennes  in  May, 
1896,  and  invested  in  a  large  tract  of  timber 
land.  He  has  since  been  engaged  largely  in 
lumber  and  saw  mill  business,  shipping  the 
product  of  his  mills  over  a  wide  territory. 

Mr.  James  was  married  May  9,  1878,  to  Miss 
Mary  P.  Leedy,  of  Remington,  Ind.  They  have 
one  son,  Rolin  R.,  now  twenty-two  years  of  age 
and  a  student  at  Earlham  College,  where  he  will 
complete  the  full  classical  course  next  June. 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND   STORY 


123 


DRUGGISTS. 
City  Hall  Drug  Store. 

One  of  the  oldest  and  best  known  business 
houses  In  the  city  is  the  City  Hall  Drug  Store, 
established  in  1867 
by  H.  J.  Watjen,  a 
pharmacist  of  large 
experience.  The 
store  was  first  loca- 
ted in  Odd  Fellows' 
block,  at  the  corner 
of  Second  and 
Broadway,  where  it 
remained  for  twen- 
ty-one years.  In  1888 
it  was  moved  to  the 
corner  of  Second 
and  Main,  into  the 
building  now  occu- 
pied by  the  German 
National  Bank. 
Here  it  remained  till 
1895,  wheni  it  was 
removed  to  its  pres- 
ent location,  corner 
Main  and  City  Hall 
place.  Mr.  Watjen 
brought  with  him  to 
the  business  not  on-  INTERIOR  VIEW 

ly  long  years  of  experience,  many  of  which  had 
been  spent  in  careful  and  thorough  study  of 
the  science,  but  well  formed  business  habits, 
•which  have  resulted  ini  the  building  up  of  a 
magnificent  trade.  Fifteen  years  ago  Mr.  Wat- 
jen's  eldest  son,  Woodville  C.  Watjen,  took 
up  the  study  of  pharmacy  under  his  father's 
direction  and  soon  became  one  of  the  most 
thorough  and  skilled  pharmacists  in  the  city. 
For  the  past  two  years  the  business  has  been 
under  his  management  entirely  the  father  hav- 
ing let  his  mantle  fall  upon  the  shoulders  of 
the  son,  who  wears  it  with  a  grace  that  shows 
him  to  be  of  the  parent  stock. 

The  trade  of  the  City  Hall  Drug  Store  is,  as  it 
should  be,  one  of  the  very  best  in  the  city. 

Dr.  R.  G.  Moore. 

Ruben  G.  Moore,  M.  D.,  wholesale  and  retail 
drugs,  paints,  toilet  articles,  etc.,  221  Main 
street,  is  one  of  tlie  business  men  of  the  city 
who  may  be  said  to  be  old  in  the  business  in 
Yincennes,  having  been  steadily  engaged  here 
for  more  than  a  third  of  a  century.  Dr.  Moore 


was  born  within  six  miles  of  Indianapolis  in 
1837  and  came  to  Vincennes  in  1866.  Apparent- 
ly his  long  service  has  not  rendered  business 
distasteful  to  him,  for  one  may  confidently  ex- 
pect to  find  the  doctor  at  his  desk  at  all  times 


CITY  HALL  DRUG  STORE,  320  MAIN 
during  business  hours. 

Dr.  Moore  was  married  in  1867  to  Miss  Sarah 
B.  Burns,  of  Moore's  Hill,  Imd.  They  have  one 
son,  Dr.  M.  G.  Moore,  of  the  city,  and  two 
daughters,  Mrs.  John  W.  Neptune,  of  Thorn- 
town,  Ind.,  and  Mrs.  William  Evans  Jenkins, 
of  Richmond,  Ind. 

Victor  Schoenfeld. 

Victor  Schoenfeld  was  born  in  Budapest,  Hun- 
gary, May  19,  1846.  Came  to  America  in  1872. 
The  first  year  after  his 
arrival  he  spent  at  Cin- 
cinnati; then  went  to 
Indianapolis,  where  be 
was  in  business  for  six 
years,  coming  to  Vin- 
cennes in  August,  1879. 
He  went  into  business 
at  once,  conducting,  a 
notion  store  at  207 
Main  street  He  re- 
mained at  that  location 
nine  years,  removing  to 


124 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


present  location,  No.  211  Maim,  in  1888.  He  car- 
ries a  complete  stock  of  proprietary  medicines, 
wall  paper,  sihades,  paints,  etc.,  and  a  variety  of 
notions  anld  toys  and  enjoys  a  thriving  trade. 

Mr.  Schoenfeld  was  married  in  1879  to  Miss 
Rifka  Wile,  of  Vincennes.  They  have  two 
daughters,  Misses  Elizabeth  and  Elvira. 

Photo  by  Shores 


Watjcn's  Wonderful  Cat,  "Mascot" 

John  M.  Duesterberg. 

John  M.  Duesterberg,  druggist,  624  North 
Second  street,  was  born,  reared  and  educated 
ia  Vincennes.  His  first 
employment  after  leav- 
ing school  was  with  H. 
E.  Peck,  druggist,  in 
1861.  He  remained  with 
Mr.  Peck  and  his  suc- 
cessors, Messrs.  Luck  & 
Patton,  over  four  years. 
He  was  then  for  three 
years  in  the  employ  of 
J.  E).  Lander,  druggist. 
In  1868  he  embarked  in 
business  for  himself, 
opening  a  drug  store  near  the  old  passenger 
depot  ini  North  Vincennes  After  two  years  he 
sold  this  store  and  bought  an  interest  with 
Landers.  In  1874  this  partnership  was  dis- 
solved and  Mr.  Duesterberg  opened  a  store  at 


No.  325  Main  street.  A  year  or  so  later  this 
was  removed  to  No.  316  Main.  In  1879  he  sold 
this  business  and  was  for  a  time  out  of  busi- 
ness. In  1883  he  opened  up  a  new  stock  at  the 
corner  of  Second  and  Sott.  Here  he  remained 
ten  years.  In  1893  he  built  and  occupied  his 
present  building  at  621  North  Second.  Mr. 
Duesterberg  was  married  in  1874  to  Miss  Mary 
Rikhoff.  of  Vinceuues. 


BAKERS. 
Planke  Bros. 

The  firm  of  Plauke  Bros.,  bakers  and  confec- 
tioners, 502-4  Main  street,  is  composed  of  Fred- 
erick W.  and  Henry  E.  Planke,  both  who  were 
born  in  Westphalia,  Germany,  the  former  Sep- 
tember 11,  18(52,  and  the  latter  January  11,  1869. 
Frederick  Planke  came  to  this  country  direct 
to  Knox  County  in  1881.  He  lived  on  a  farm 
during  the  first  four  years  after  his  arrival. 
In  1886  with  a  brother.  William,  now  deceased, 
he  established  a  business  at  No.  311  Main,  but 
after  a  few  months  removed  to  the  present  loca- 
tion. William  Planke  died  in  October,  1895,  and 
later  Henry  E.,  who  had  arrived  from  Germany 
in  June,  1889,  became  a  member  of  the  firm. 

Frederick  W.  Planke  was  married  in  1886  to 
Miss  Annie  Spangle,  of  Knox  county.  They 
have  two  children. 

Planke  Brothers  have  fitted  their  bakery  with 
modern  machinery  and  have  every  appliance 
calculated  to  improve  the  quality  or  lessen  the 
cost  of  prodiiction  and  their  product  gives  uni- 
versal satisfaction.  They  are  large  dealers  in 
candies  and  confectioneries  and  hi  season  man- 
ufacture and  sell  at  wholesale  and  retail  im- 
mense quantities  of  ice  cream,  in  which  their 
trade  has  had  a  steady  and  rapid  growth  for 
several  years  past. 

Herman  Boog. 

Herman  BOog  was  born  in  Brunswick,  Ger- 
many, May  28,  1864,  and  came  to  America  in 
1888  at  the  age  of  24  years.  In  1890  Mr.  Boog 
came  to  Vinicennes  and  engaged  with  Frank 
Mitcihell  as  baker.  In  3891  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  Henry  Bergmann  and  established 
a  bakery  at  Seventh  and  Hart  streets.  In  1895 
the  partnership  was  dissolved  and  Mr.  Boog 
established  his  present  business  at  9  South 
Fourth  street,  where  he  has  had  a  steady 
growth  and  now  conducts  one  of  the  largest 


V1NCENNES   IN  PICTURE  AND   STORY 


125 


bakeries    in   the   city,    equipped    with    modern 
steam  machinery. 

Mr.  Boog  was  married  in  1892  to  Miss  Lina 
Ahlborn,  of  Celle,  Germany.  They  have  two 
children  living  and  have  lost  one  by  death. 


MILLINERS. 
G.  R.  Harvey. 

Geo.  R.  Harvey  was  born  in  Kingston,  Tenn., 
May  14,  1818.  When  George  was  two  years  of 
age  his  parents  removed 
to  a  farm  in)  Washing- 
ton county,  Ind.,  where 
he  remained  until 
twelve  years  of  age.  He 
then  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  a  merchant  tail- 
or in  Salem  and  there 
lea  rned  the  tailor's 
trade.  He  remained 
here  five  years  and  then 
established  himself  in 
business  at  the  small 
town  of  Bono,  in  Lawrence  county,  near  the 
Washington  county  line.  Here  he  commenced 
business  in  1833  and  continued  it  till  1847.  In 
the  latter  year  on  account  of  failing  health, 
due  to  his  confining  occupation,  he  disposed 
of  his  business  and  for  an  open  air  occupa- 
tion chose  flat  boating  and  engaged  in  tihis  occu- 
pation on  the  east  fork  of  White  River,  follow- 
ing it  for  a  period  of  two  years.  Finding  him- 
self then  in  fairly  good  health  lie  removed  to 
Vinlcennes,  where  he  embarked  in  business  as 
a  merchant  tailor,  combining  with  it  a  book  and 
stationer}-  business.  After  two  years  he  sold 
the  tailoring  department  and  confined  himself 
to  the  book  and  stationery  business.  Very  soon 
thereafter  in  partnership  with  James  A.  Mason 
and  L.  L.  Watson,  under  the  firm  name  and 
style  of  Harvey,  Mason  &  Co.,  he,  about  1853-4, 
bought  the  Vincennes  Gazette,  in  connection 
w-ith  which  the  book  and  stationery  business 
was  subsequently  conducted.  In  1859  tihey  sold 
the  Gazette  to  Col.  C.  M.  Allen  and  Dr.  H.  M. 
Smith  and  later  in  the  same  year  sold  the  book 
store  to  Major  Gould  and  Dr.  Shepard.  Mr. 
Harvey  was  then  for  two  years  engaged  in  an 
auction  and  commission  business,  embarking, 
in  1861,  In  millinery  and  ladies'  furnishings 
and  the  manufacture  of  ladies',  misses'  and 
children's  wraps.  This  business  grew  to  large 


proportions  and  Mr.  Harvey  did  a  business  run- 
ning as  high  as  40,000  to  $50,000  a  year,  making 
nearly  all  the  goods  in  those  lines  sold  in  this 
section.  In  these  lines  he  has  continued  to  the 
present  time,  but  with  advancing  years  has 
dropped  some  features  of  the  business  entirely, 
and  has  ceased  to  push  the  remainder  with 
his  erstwhile  vigor,  being  satisfied  with  a  quiet, 
little  business  that  provides  a  comfortable  liv- 
ing for  himself  and  family.  When  at  the  height 
of  his  prosperity  in  the  manufacture  of  ladies* 
wraps,  etc.,  Mr.  Harvey  employed  five  to  six 
tailors  and  from  fifty  to  sixty  needle  women. 

Our  venerable  subject  recalls  the  fact  that 
when  he  came  to  Vincennes  there  were  in  ac- 
tive business  ini  the  city  fifty-two  men.  Of 
these  he  is  now  the  only  one  in  business.  The 
only  other  one  living  is  Mr.  Christian  Eberwine, 
of  503  Busseron  street. 

Mr.  Harvey  was  married  April  12,  1849,  to 
Miss  Laura  B.  Brace,  of  Haysville,  Dubois 
county,  Ind.,  who  is  still  living  and  assisting 
in  the  business. 

Robert  M.  Glass. 

Robert  M.  Glass  was  born  in  Lewistown,  Pa., 
and  educated  in  the  schools  of  that  city.  He 
came  to  Vincennes  in 
1879  For  a  period  of 
seven  years  he  was  em- 
ployed as  a  salesman  by 
B.  Kuhn  &  Co.,  and  I. 
Joseph  &  Sons,  In  1885 
Mr.  Glass  embarked  in 
business  for  himself, 
buying  the  millinery 
business  of  J.  T.  Mc- 
Jiinsey,  theretofore  es- 
tablished at  15  North 
Second  street,  where  he 

has  continued  in  business  to  the  present  time. 
Mr.  Glass  carries  one  of  the  most  complete  lines 
of  millinery  in  the  State  and  having  at  all 
times  the  best  trimmers  obtainable,  enjoys  the 
cream  of  the  city's  millinery  trade. 

Mr.  Glass  was  married  in  1885  to  Miss  Fannie 
E.  Collins,  of  the  city.  They  have  two  children. 

* 

WALL  PAPER,  PAINTS,  ETC. 
Mrs.  E.  J.  Loten. 

The  business  conducted  by  Mrs.  Eleanor  J. 
Loten  at  416  Main  street,  was  established  by 
John  Loten,  about  1856.  Mr.  Loten  was  born 


126 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND   STORY 


in  England  and  came  to  this  country  with  his 
father  in  1853  to  a  farm  near  Grayville,  111.  He 
had  learned  the  trade  of  house  painter  and 
decorator  in  England  and  in  1854  came  to  Vin- 
cennes,  where  lie  followed  his  trade  for  a  time 
and  then  established  a  paint  and  paper  store 
on  Fourth  street,  between  Maim  and  Busseron. 
He  later  bought  two  Main  street  lots  of  Dr.  Hitt 
and  erected  buildings,  one  of  which  is  yet  occu- 
pied by  the  business  conducted  by  his  widow, 
Mrs.  Eleanor  J.  Loten,  nee  Roberts,  to  whom 
he  was  married  in  Hull,  England,  in  1851.  Mr. 
Loten  dying  in  1876  Mrs.  Loten>  succeeded  to 
the  business,  which  she  has  since  conducted 
most  successfully,  having  added  to  it  a  fine  line 
of  pictures,  frames  and  ornamental  goods,  in 
which  she  deals  largely. 

Charles  W,  Helle. 

Charles  W.  Helle,  dealer  in  pictures,  mould- 
ings, wall  paper,  paints  and  window  shades,  219 
Main  street,  was  born 
at  Freelandville,  Knox 
county,  August  11, 
1866.  His  father  died 
when  he  was  but  five 
years  of  age,  and  his 
widowed  mother  re- 
moved soon  after  to 
Vincennes,  where  he  at- 
tended St.  John's  Evan- 
gelical school  and  sub- 
sequently the  public 
schools.  Necessity  com- 
pelled him  to  seek  employment  at  an  early  age 
and  he  found  it  mainly  in  stores  until  he  de- 
cided to  learn  the  trade  of  paper  hanger,  which 
he  did  with  Henry  Miller.  In  1887  he  went  to 
Cincinnati  and  became  foreman  of  the  freight 
house  of  the  C.,  H.  &  D.  railroad,  in  which  po- 
sition he  remained  for  six  years.  He  then  fol- 
lowed his  trade  of  paper  hanger  for  five  years. 
Returning  to  Vincennes  in  1898,  he  bought  of 
J.  J.  Dawson  the  business  which  he  has  since 
conducted. 

Mr.  Helle  was  married  in  1889  to  Miss  Mary 
Hays  of  Cincinnati. 

BICYCLES,  REPAIRS,  ETC. 
White  Bicycle  Company. 

The  White  Bicycle  Company,  bicycles,  repairs 
and  general  repair  work,  202  North  Seventh 
street,  is  the  outgrowth  of  a  business  estab- 
lished in  the  spring  of  1897,  by  George  M.  White 


and  Lafayette  LeGros,  under  the  firm  name  of 
George  M.  White.  The  firm  continued  un- 
changed till  December  1,  1901,  when  Oliver 


Mrs.  Loten's  New  Building,  Telephone  Exchange, 
Fourth,  Between  Main  and  Busseron 

Pierson  bought  the  interest  of  Mr.  White  and 
the  present  firm  was  formed,  consisting  of  Mr. 
LeGros  and  Mr.  Pierson,  and  the  name  "The 
White  Bicycle  Company"  adopted. 

The  White  Bicycle  Company  handles  a  large 
line  of  the  best  wheels  made,  and  are  exclusive 
agenits  for  the  Crescent  and  one  or  two  other 
high  grade  wheels.  They  also  handle  a  full 
line  of  specialties  and  repairs  and  do  all  kinds 
of  repair  work,  including  enameling  and  nickel- 
ing, under  a  full  guaranty. 

Oliver  Pierson,  of  the  White  Bicycle  Com- 
pany, was  born  in  Knox  county,  Ohio,  Decem- 
ber 13,  1836.  After  leaving  the  public  schools, 
young  Pierson  took  an  academic  course  at  Mar- 
tinsburg  and  there  attended  college  for  a  time. 
He  afterward  learned  the  trade  of  chair  maker 
but  did  not  long  follow  it,  taking  up  that  of 
house  painting,  emigrating  in  1857  to  Marshall 
county,  Illinois.  Here  he  taught  school  onie 
year  and  then  returned  to  Ohio.  While  in  Illi- 
nois he  met  and  won  Miss  Martha  Fountain,  of 
Marshall  county,  and  in  1860  returned  and  mar- 
ried her.  He  then  followed  school  teaching  In 
Ohio  one  year,  after  which  he  returned  to 
Wenona,  111.,  where  he  followed  the  trade  of 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


127 


house  painting  for  some  five  or  six  years.  From 
there  he  went  to  Oskaloosa,  Iowa,  where  he 
was  engaged,  in  the  manufacture  of  window 
blinds.  Here  he  remained  till  the  fall  of  1882, 
when  he  removed  to  Wabash  county,  Ind.,  and 
engaged  in  the  saw  mill  business.  In  this  he 
continued  till  1892,  when  he  engaged  in  the 
same  business  in  Knox  county  and  continued  it 
till  the  year  1899. 

Mr.  Pierson  is  a  skillful  mechanic  and  well 
versed  in  everything  pertaining  to  saws  and 
saw  mills;  At  filing  and  re-hammering  saws 
he  has  few  superiors  amd  bJs  trade  in  this  line 
is  quite  large.  Mr.  Pierson  is  the  father  of  two 
sons  and  two  daughters. 

Lafayette  LeGros  was  born  at  Allendale,  Wa- 
basti  county,  111.  When  he  was  six  or  seven 
years  of  age  his  father  removed  to  Bridgeport, 
Lawrence  county,  111.,  where  he  attended  the 
public  schools.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  years 
he  engaged  to  learn  the  trade  of  miller  and 
was  for  several  years  employed  in.  a  large  flour- 
ing mill  at  Bridgeport.  Having  a  natural  me- 
chanical turn  he  quickly  obtained  an  expert 
knowledge  of  the  trade  and  was  placed  in  en- 
tire charge  of  the  mill  at  an  early  age.  Find- 
ing his  health  suffered  from  the  occupation, 
however,  he  gave  it  up  and  came  to  Vincennes 
in  1892  and  was  employed  in  a  bicycle  repair 
shop.  In  1894,  he  accepted  a  position  in  a 
large  mill  at  Davenport,  Iowa,  which,  however, 
he  was  compelled  to  give  up  on  account  of  his 
health,  after  one  year.  Returning  to  Vincennes 
he  took  charge  of  a  bicycle  department  for  C. 
Scott  &  Son.  Later  he  was  offered  and  ac- 
cepted the  formanship  of  a  large  bicycle  repair 
shop  at  Atlanta,  Ga.  In  1897,  with  George  M. 
White  he  established  a  general  bicycle  business, 
of  which  the  present  "White  Bicycle  Company" 
is  the  outgrowth. 

E.  B.  Hunter. 

E.  B.  Hunter  was  born  at  Newberry,  Green 
counity,  Ind.,  but  his  father  dying  when  our  sub- 
ject was  quite  small,  he  was  placed  with  his 
grandmother  on  a  farm  near  Washington,  Davis 
county.  When  fourteen  years  of  age.  striking 
out  for  himself,  he  went  to  Mattoon,  111.,  where 
he  remained  until  1875.  Here  young  Hunter 
learned  milling  and  the  machinists  trade. 
Leaving  Mattoon  he  spent  one  year  in  Terre 
Haute.  Coming  to  Vincennes  in  1877,  he  took 
charge  of  the  milling  department  of  a  starch 
factory  for  a  time  and  subsequently  of  flouring 


mills  at  Bridgeport,  111.,  and  at  Vincennes.  In 
1890  Mr.  Hunter  opened  a  bicycle  store,  coup- 
ling with  it  a  bicycle  repair  shop,  which  has 
sin/ce  developed  into  a  general  machine  and  re- 
pair shop,  wherein  Mr.  Hunter's  superior  tal- 
ents are  in  great  demand.  Recently  Mr.  Hunter 
has  become  proprietor  of  the  "Racket  Store"  for 
some  years  conducted  by  Mrs.  Barlow  in  an  ad- 
joining building,  which  has  been  connected  by 
an  archway.  Energy,  enterprise  and  skill  have 
combined  to  build  up  for  Mr.  Hunter  a  busi- 
ness of  large  proportions  and  which  is  appar- 
ently destined  to  a  much  larger  growth.  Mr. 
Hunter  was  married  December  11,  1879,  to 
Miss  Esther  A.  Thomas,  of  Washington,  Ind., 
who  died  Sept.  27,  1899,  leaving  four  children. 
He  recently  married  Miss  Anne  Barrows. 


COAL  AND  ICE. 
L.  A.  Frederick. 

Louis  A.  Frederick,  wholesale  and  retail  deal- 
er in  coal,  1115  Main  street,  was  born  in  Louis- 
ville, Ky.,  October  20, 
1858,  and  received  his 
education  in  the  schools 
of  that  city.  At  the  age 
of  twenty  years,  In 
1878,  he  entered  the 
shops  of  the  Indianapo- 
lis car  works  and  learn- 
ed the  trade  of  car  buil- 
der and  subsequently 
became  car  inspector  on 
the  Pan  Handle  rail- 
road and  remained  In 

the  employ  of  the  Pennsylvania  system  for  fif- 
teen years.  In  1885  he  came  to  Vincennes  as 
inspector  for  the  I.  &  V.  railroad  and  continued 
to  hold  the  position  here  until  1892.  In  the 
mean  time  he  had  built  up  a  flourishing  coal 
business,  to  which  he  has  since  devoted  his  en- 
tire time  and  attention  building  up  a  whole- 
sale and  retail  business  of  large  proportions. 
He  handles  the  Jackson  Hill  and  Princeton,  two 
of  the  best  grades  of  coal  to  be  had  in  this 
market. 

Mr.  Frederick  is  an  "old  reliable"  among 
Republicans,  and  though  in  no  sense  a  seeker 
after  office  he  waft  in  1894  the  Republican  nomi- 
nee for  trustee  of  Vincennes  township,  and 
notwithstanding  a  normal  majority  of  over  five 
hundred  in  favor  of  the  Democrats,  his  popular- 


128 


YINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


ity  was  attested  by  the  fact  that  he  was  beaten 
by  only  89  votes.  He  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E. 
church  and  also  of  a  number  of  fraternal  and 
beneficiary  societies,  including  the  Odd  Fellows, 
K.  of  P.,  Uniform  Rank  K.  of  P.,  of  which  he 
is  captain;  Modern  Woodmen  and  Ben  Hur.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Vincennies  Board  of 
Trade. 

Mr.  Frederick  was  married,  January  10,  1SS5, 
to  Miss  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  James  L.  Lowe, 
of  Indianapolis.  This  union  has  been  blessed 
by  nine  children,  of  whom  six  sons  and  one 
daughter  are  living.  He  resides  with  his  family 
on  his  farm  of  forty  acres  just  east  of  the  city 
limits. 

John  D.  LaCroix,  Coal  and  Ice. 

John  D.  LaCroix,  dealer  in  coal  and  ice,  was 
born  in  Yincennes,  April  5,  1856.  He  obtained' 
•his  education  in  the  schools  of  the  city  and  in 
early  life  was  employed  as  a  salesman  in  the 
dry  goods  store  of  his  father  in  the  city.  Soon 
after  the  death  of  his  father,  he,  in  1877,  formed 
a  partnership  with  Htigh  Bowen  and  embarked 
in  the  grocery  business  at  309  Main  street,  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  LaCroix  &  Boweru,  com- 
bining with  it  a  coal  and  ice  trade.  At  the  end 
of  one  year  he  bought  his  partner's  interest  and 
continued  the  business  until  1890,  when  he  dis- 
posed of  the  grocery  store  in  order  to  devote 
his  entire  time  attention)  to  the  other  branches 
of  the  business,  which  had  grown  to  large  pro- 
portions, erecting  an  office  which  he  still  occu- 
pies, at  18  South  Third  street. 

Mr.  LaCroix  was  married  June  5,  1889,  to 
Miss  Mary  Brackette,  of  St.  Louis. 

John  A.  Henderson. 

John  A.  Hendersom  was  born  in  Yincennes, 
August  18,  1842.  His  mother  dying  in  his  in- 
fancy he  was  placed  in  the  care  of  relatives 
in  Parke  county,  Ind.,  where  he  remained  till 
the  breaking  out  of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion, 
when  ho  enlisted  in  Company  "I,"  First  Indiana 
Cavalry.  With  this  company  he  served  three 
years,  being  mustered  out  July  4, 18G4,  and  saw 
much  hard  service.  He  was  in  the  second  bat- 
tle of  Bull  Rui\  and  was  with  Grant  before 
Petersburg.  His,-  command  took  an-  honorable 
part  in  a  number  of  hard  fought  battles  and 
many  skirmishes.  In  1867  Mr.  Henderson  came 
to  Vincennes  and  formed  a  partnership  with 
Irvin  Wilkinson  in  a  tin  and  stove  business. 


After  about  two  years  he  sold  his  interests  here 
and  went  to  Nashville,  Tenn.,  where  he  took 
stock  in  a  cotton  compress  company  and  be- 
came assistant  superintendent  of  the  business. 
Afterwards  returning  to  Vincenmes  he  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Adams  Express  Company 
with  which  he  remained  eleven  years  as  way- 
bill and  money  clerk.  In  1880  Mr.  Henderson 
embarked  in  coal  and  ice  business  at  corner  of 
Third  and  Scott  streets,  where  he  is  still  lo- 
cated. Mr.  Henderson  was  married  October 
20,  1869,  to  Miss  Hanmah  R.  McClure,  of  Vin- 
cennes. They  have  one  son  and  one  daughter. 

Edwin  L.  Ryder. 

Edwin  L.  Ryder  was  born  aear  Lebanon,  Ky., 
May  20,  1846.  He  was  educated  at  Iowa  Col- 
lege, Davenport,  Iowa. 
He  learned  telegraphy 
and  was  first  employed 
at  South  Charleston,  O., 
on  the  Little  Miami 
railroad.  For  some  years 
he  continued  with  this 
road  occupying  various 
positions  as  operator 
and  agent.  He  was 
night  manager  for  the 
Western  Union  at  Cin>- 
cinnati,  Ohio,  when  the 
Rebellion  came  and  was  made  operator  at 
Camp  Dennison,  near  that  city,  when  troops 
began  to  mobilize.  Mr.  Ryder  attempted  to  en- 
list but  was  rejected  on  account  of  being  an 
operator,  his  services  in  that  capacity  being 
urgently  required.  He  subsequently  made  a 
second  attempt  with  a  like  result.  In  1866  Mr. 
Ryder  came  to  Vincennes  as  train  dispatcher 
for  the  O.  <t  M.  railroad.  After  one  year  he 
was  made  train  master  of  the  western  division 
and  subsequently  of  the  entire  system  from 
Louisville  to  St.  Louis.  Later  he  became  assist- 
ant general  superintendent  of  the  road.  In 
1874  he  resigned  this  position  to  become  divi- 
sion superintendent  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  and 
Iron  Mountain  roads,  with  headquarters  in  St. 
Louis.  In  1885  he  resigned  this  position  and 
returned  to  Vincennes,  embarking  in  a  coal 
business  and  sack  exchange,  which  he  has 
since  conducted. 

Mr.  Ryder  was  married  in  1869  to  Miss  Mary 
Wise,  of  Vincennes.  now  deceased.  He  has  one 
daughter,  Mrs.  William  C.  Breed,  of  New  York 
City. 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


129 


SHOES.  1 

George  Klein.  ~ 

George  Klein,  dealer  in  shoes  at  329  Main 
street,  was  born  in  Alsace,  at  that  time  French 
territory,  in  1833.  He  cum*  to  this  country  at 
the  age  of  19  years,  landing  at  St.  Louis,  where 
he  remained  about 
eight  years,  following 
the  trade  of  shoemaker. 
He  spent  also  three 
years  at  Bt-ntonsport, 
Iowa,  whence  he  re- 
turned to  St.  Louis, 
coming  to  Vincennes  in 
1868.  Working  for  a 
time  as  a  journeyman 
at  his  trade  he,  in  1869, 
established  a  business 
of  his  own  at  323  Main. 
The  business  flourished  and  was  in  1878  re- 
moved to  its  present  location,  where  it  has  since 
been  continued. 

Mr.  Klein  was  married  in  1864  to  his  present 
wife,  who  was  Miss  Lena  Heybeck,  of  Ger- 
many, whither  he  had  returned  on  a  visit.  They 
have  four  children. 

Racey  Palfrey  Shoe  Co. 

The  Racey-Palfrey  Shoe  Company  is  com- 
posed of  Wm.  S.  Racey  and  Thomas  F.  Palfrey 
and  was  formed  in  December,  1899. 

Wm.  S.  Racey  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Oak- 
town.  In  1808  he  took  a  position  in  the  general 
store  of  Watts  Bond, 
of  Oaktown,  anid  re- 
mained with  him  sev- 
en years.  In  March, 
1895,  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  James 
Hedden  and  embarked 
in  the  grocery  business 
at  the  corner  of  Fifth 
and  Main  Streets,  Vin- 
cennes.  In  December, 
1899,  Mr.  Racey  sold 
his  interest  in  the 
grocery  store  and  formed  a  partnership  with 
Thomas  F.  Palfrey  in  the  shoe  business,  which 
they  have  since  conducted  at  218  Main  street. 
Mr.  Racey  was  married  in  October,  1889  to  Miss 
Maggie  E.  Shepherd,  of  Oaktown.  They  have 
two  children  living. 

Thomas  F.  Palfrey  was  born  in  Detroit,  Mich., 
and  educated  in  the  schools  of  St.  Louis,  to 


which  city  his  parents 
removed  when  Thomas 
F.  was  a  small  boy.  In 
1889  he  took  a  position 
with  the  Simmons 
Hardware  Company,  of 
St.  Louis,  in  which 
company  he  soon  after 
became  a  stockholder 
and  traveling  salesman 
and  remained  in  that 
connection  for  '  ten 
years,  withdrawing  in 
December,  1899,  to  enter  the  shoe  business.  Mr. 
Palfrey  was  in  1894  married  to  Miss  Mary  L. 
BurrelJ,  of  St.  Louis.  They  have  three  children. 
(Messrs.  Racey  and  Palf/ey  are  both  mem- 
bers of  the  BractonrRacey  Grocery  Company.) 

Chas.  E.  Shepherd. 

Charles  E.  Shepherd  was  born  on  a  farm  in 
Knox  county  near  Oak- 
town.  When  he  was 
qaito  small  his  parents 
removed  to  Sullivan 
county,  where  he  was 
reared  and  educated. 
He  remained  on  the 
farm  until  twenty  years 
of  age,  when  he  took  a 
position  with  Racey  & 
Hedden,  grocers,  with 
whom  he  remained  for 
several  years.  He  be- 
came a  salesman  for  tiie  Racey-Palfrey  Shoe 
Company  in  September,  li)°l. 

T.  Ray  Cross. 

T.  Ray  Cross  was  born  and  reftred  on  a  farm 
near  Vincennes,  attending  the  schools  of  the 
city,  including  one  year 
in  the  high  school.  In 
1896  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  Racey  &  Hed- 
den grocers,  Fifth  and 
Main,  and  remained 
there  until  the  death  of 
Mr.  Hedden.  in  the  fall 
ot  1891,  which  resulted 
ir  closing  the  business 
temporarily.  In  Octo-- 
ber,  7901,  he  became  a 
salesman  in  the  shoe 

store  of  the  Racey-Palfrey     Shoe     Company, 
where  he  is  now  employed. 


130 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


HARDWARE. 
W.  H.  Weed. 

William  H.  Weed  was  born  in  Grayville,  Illi- 
nois, May  5,  1803,  and  received  his  general  edu- 
cation in  the  schools  of  that  city.     He  after- 
wards attended  Easthan/s  Business  College,  of 
Poughkeepsie,      N.     Y., 
from     which     he     was 
graduated  in  1880. 

He  first  embarked  in 
business  at  Fairfield, 
Illinois,  where  he  con- 
ducted a  hardware 
store  for  a  few  mouths, 
removed  to  Grayville, 
where  he  was  in  busi- 
ness about  two  years 
before  coming  to  Vin- 
cennes  in  1887.  Here  he 
first  occupied  the  storeroom  at  214  Main  street, 
where  he  remained  twelve  years,  moving  into 
the  large  double  stores  at  410  and  412  Main  in 
1899,  remaining  here  to  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Weed  handles  a  general  line  of  builders' 
hardware,  stoves,  furnaces,  tinware,  tools,  wire, 
rooting,  etc.,  and  has  built  up  a  fine  business 
and  a  reputation  for  fair  dealing  that  is  as 
broad  as  the  territory  over  which  Vincennes 
trade  extends. 

Mr.  Weed  was  married  at  Grayville,  Illinois, 
in  1884,  to  Miss  Mary  B.  Spring.  They  have 
one  son. 

N.  Smith  &  Sons. 

The  firm  of  N.  Smith  &  Sons  is  one  of  the 
oldest  in  the  State  of  Indiana,  dating  back  to 
the  year  1817,  when  Nicholas  Smith  ,the  foun- 
der, and  father  of  the  present  proprietors,  came 
to  Vincemies  from  Cincinnati,  being  originally 
from  Newark,  N.  J.  He  established  himself  as 
a  blacksmith,  subsequently  adding  a  tin  shop 
and  in  1834  putting  in>  a  line  of  stoves.  Mr. 
Smith,  in  1828,  bought  the  property,  then  va- 
cant, where  the  business  now  stands,  No.  313 
and  315  Main  street,  together  with  that  at  Nos. 
317  and  819  Main,  and  about  the  year  1860, 
erected  the  building  now  occupied  by  H.  Brok- 
hage  &  Sons,  and  in  1864  that  occupied  by  the 
present  firm  of  N.  Smith  &  Sons. 

The  firm  was  originallv  composed  of  the  fath- 
er, Nicholas  Smith,  and  his  two  elder  sons.  G. 
Foster  and  C.  C.  Smith.  The  two  sons  with- 
drew from  the  firm  in  1856  and  embarked  in 


business  together  at  Terre  Haute,  where  C.  C. 
Smith  is  still  engaged,  G.  Foster  being  now  de- 
ceased. After  the  withdrawal  of  his  sous  Mr. 
Smith  continued  alone  till  the  year  1864  when 
Edward  H.  and  John  A.  Smith  were  admitted 
to  a  partnership  and  the  old  name  has  con- 
tinued to  the  present  date,  though  the  elder 
Smith  died  in  the  year  1871,  and  the  business 
has  been  conducted  with  m irked  success  by  the 
last  named  brothers.  The  line  includes  every- 
thing in  lieating  and  cooking  stoves,  kitchen 
utensils,  tin  work  of  all  descriptions,  steam, 
hot  water  and  hot  air  furnaces,  mantels,  roof- 
ing, guttering,  etc.  The  growth  of  the  business 
has  recently  compelled  the  addition  of  a  large 
ware  room  in  the  rear  to  accommodate  it.  Be- 
sides their  business,  the  Messrs.  Smith  are  large 
owners  of  valuable  real  estate  in  the  city.  They 
are  enterprising  and  public  spirited  men  and 
ready  ,\t  all  tin?es  to  lead  a  holping  hand  for  the 
advancement  of  the  city  E.  H.  Smith  was  a 
charter  member  of  the  board  of  trade  and  is  a 
director  in  the  First  National  Bank. 

P.  Eluere  &  Sons. 

The  firm  of  P.  Eluere  &  Sons  is  one  of  the 
oldest  houses  in  the  city  and  owes  its  beginning 
to  a  small  repair  shop  started  by  Prosper  El- 
uere, in  the  year  1842,  on  Broadway  between 
First  and  Second  streets.  Born  in  Rennes, 
France,  in  1812,  Mr.  Eluere  learned  the  trade 
of  gun  and  locksmith  and  became  an  expert 
in  general  repair  work.  Ernmigrating  to  Ameri- 
ca and  coming  direct  to  Vincenmes  in  the  year 
last  above  mentioned,  he  established  himself 
in  business  as  stated  and  as  his  talents  were 
recognized  and  his  business  and  capital  grew, 
he  put  in  a  line  of  guns 
and  sporting  goods, 
adding  to  it  other  lines 
as  his  trade  demanded, 
from  time  to  time,  until 
he  carried  a  great  varie- 
ty of  goods,  represent- 
ing a  large  investment. 
Mr.  Eluere  was  married 
in  1847  to  Miss  Mary 
Louise  Bayard  and  to 
the  union  were  born 
five  sons,  Edward,  Sam- 
uel, Louis,  Prosper,  Jr.,  and  William,  and  three 
daughters.  Misses  Emma,  Frances  and  Eliza- 
beth. Before  many  years  the  business  of  Mr. 
Eluere  had  outgrown  its  quarters,  and  its  char- 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


131 


acter  and  dimensions  demanded  a  better  loca- 
tion. Accordingly  he  removed  to  305  Main 
street  where  he  continued  to  conduct  it  for 
many  years  to  the  date  ol  his  death  in  1891. 
Two  years  prior  to  his  death  Mr.  Eluere  asso- 
ciated with  himself  ini  the  business  his  three 
sons,  Prosper,  Louis  and  William,  who  had 
grown  up  with  it,  and  thuy  now  conduct  the 
business.  P.  Eluere  &  Sons  is  not  only  one 
of  the  oldest  but  one  of  the  largest  retail  busi- 
nesses in  the  city.  They  carry  an  immense 
line  of  hardware,  cuttlery,  guns,  sporting  goods, 
notions,  toys,  etc. 

The  Messrs.  Eluere  are  skilled  mechanics  and 
in  their  repair  shop  do  in  the  most  skillful  man- 
ner all  kinds  of  repairs  in  metal.  Born,  reared 
and  educated  in  Vincennes,  they  are  known 
as  careful  and  reliable  business  men,  whose 
word  is  as  good  as  their  bond,  and  is  taken 
by  their  customers  at  its  face  value. 

•i* 

MARBLE. 
Peter  J.  Burns. 

Peter  J.  Burns,  of  the  Standard  Monument 
Works,  14  South  Second  street,  was  born  In 
Pittsburg,  Pa.,  March  9, 
1854.  He  was  educated 
in  the  schools  of  Louis- 
ville, Ky.,  and  at  St. 
Mary's  Academy,  of 
Floyd  county,  Indiana, 
from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1871.  He 
learned  the  trade  of 
marble  cutter  at  Louis- 
ville, Ky.,  and  followed 
the  trade  as  a  journey- 
man marble  cutter  for 
about  ten  years,  traveling  for  a  marble  firm 
during  an  interval  of  four  years.  Mr.  Burns, 
in  1885,  embarked  in  business  in  Vincennes 
with  E.  M.  Salyards  as  a  partner,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Salyards  &  Burns.  This  part- 
nership was  dissolved  after  two  years  and  Mr. 
Burns  went  into  business  alone.  The  pres- 
ent firm  was  organized  in  1896.  Mr.  Burns  is  a 
thorough  master  of  the  mechanical  side  of  his 
bii^eer.  's  a  designer  of  ability  and  taste,  and 
having  a  broad  acquaintance  in  this  section 
his  firm  enjoys  a  large  and  profitable  custom. 
He  has  done  much  work  of  the  higher  class 
for  wealthy  and  distinguished  peoole  of  this 
and  other  cities. 


Mr.  Burns  was  married  October  3,  1882,  to 
Mrs.  Mary  Walter,  of  Jeffersonville,  Ind.  They 
have  one  daughter. 

E.  M.  Salyards. 

Edward  M.  Salyards  was  born  at  Portsmouth, 
Ohio,  March  12.  1845.  When  he  was  eight  years 
of  age  his  father  re- 
moved to  Orleans,  Ind., 
where  the  son  grew  to 
young  manhood  and 
where  at  the  age  of  16 
years  he  enlisted  in  the 
Twenty-fourth  Indiana 
Volunteer  Infantry  and 
remained  in  the  service 
till  the  close  of  the  war, 
four  and  a  half  years, 
seeing  much  hard  serv- 
ice and  being  engaged 
in  maiijy  battles  of  importance,  among  them 
Shiloh,  Champion  Hill,  Mississippi,  and  Vicks- 
burg,  Mis?. 

After  the  war  he  attended  the  Indiana  Uni- 
versity at  Blooraington  for  eighteen  months. 
After  leaving  school  Mr.  Salyards  learned  the 
trade  of  marble  cutter  with  his  father  at  Or- 
leans and  has  followed  it  ever  since.  He  first 
went  imto  business  for  himself  at  Madison,  Ind. 
From  there,  he  went  to  New  Albany  where, 
with  a  partner,  he  conducted  a  large  business 
for  ten  years.  In  1885  he  engaged  in  business 
in  Vincennes,  where  he  has  continued  to  the 
present  time.  Mr.  Salyards  was  married  at 
Bloomington.  Ind..  in  1867,  to  Miss  Eleanor  An- 
derson. They  have  four  children. 


FUNERAL 
Ora  J. 

Ora  J.  Hartley  was 
in  1874.     He  received 


DIRECTORS. 
Hartley. 

born  at  Hillsboro,  Ind.. 
a  gooa  education  in  the 
schools  of  Crawfords- 
ville.  After  leaving 
school  young  Hartley 
learned  telegraphy  and 
followed  the  vocation  of 
telegraph  operator  for 
three  years.  He  was 
then  for  three  years 
with  H.  L.  Steers,  un- 
derfci  ker.  in  T  e  r  r  e 
Haute.  He  came  to 
Vincennes  in  February. 
1901  buying  the  inter- 


132 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


est  of  John  Weber  in  the  undertaking  business 
of  Karaschefsky  &  Weber,  the  firm,  becoming 
Karaschefsky  &  Hartley.  Mr.  Hartley  is  a 
thorough  master  of  the  undertaker's  profession 
and  in  every  way  a  good  citizen  and  business 
man.  His  firm  is  doing  a  good  business. 

Mr.  Hartley  was  married  October  15,  1901,  to 
Miss  Lida  Swain,  of  Vincennes. 

Dexter  Gardner  &  Son. 

The  firm  of  Dexter  Gardner  &  Son,  under- 
takers, 427  Main  street,  dates  back  to  1816, 
when  Andrew  Gardner,  a  native  of  Boston, 
Mass.,  arrived  in  Vincennes  and  estab- 
lished a  furniture  and  undertaking 
business.  About  1840,  Andrew  Gard- 
ner associated  with  himself  his  son, 
Elbridge  G.  Gardner,  who  had  for  a 
number  of  years  had  practical  charge 
of  the  business,  and  the  firm  beeame 
Andrew  Gardner  &  Son.  After  the 
death  of  the  Elder  Gardner,  in  1860, 
the  business  was  continued  by  the  sou 
in  liis  own  name.  The  latter  conducted 
a  factory  for  the  manufacture  of  furni- 
ture as  a  feeder  for  the  business  Tind 
this  was  on  a  large  scale  for  those 
days.  In  1884  Elbridge  G.  Gardner 
associated  with  himself  in  the  business 
his  sons,  Dexter  and  Edward,  under 
the  firm  name  of  E.  G.  Gardner  & 
Sons,  and  «o  continued  till  1892,  when 
the  business  was  divided  between*  the 
two  sons,  Edward  taking  the  furniture 
business,  which  continued  in  the  name 
of  E.  G.  Gardner  &  Sons,  and  Dexter 
continuing  the  undertaking  business. 
In  1899  George  E.,  son*  of  Dexter  Gard- 
ner, was  admitted  into  the  business 
and  the  firm  became  Dexter  Gardner 
&  Son. 

The  firm  of  Dexter  Gardner  &  Son 
has  long  been  one  of  the  leading  under- 
taking firms  of  Southern  Indiana  and 
has  don>e  a  large  business  in  the  city 
and  vicinity.  The  father,  Dexter  Gard- 
ner,  died   February  8,   1902,   and   the 
firm   as   now    constituted   is   composed    of   the 
heirs  of  Dexter  Gardner  and  George  E.  Gard- 
ner.   George  E.  Gardner  is  assisted  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  business     by     his  sister.  Miss 
France  D.  Gardner,  who  is  a  practical  funeral 
•director  and  embalmer. 


George  Elbridge  Gardner  was  born  and  reared 
in  Vinceunes  and  educated  in  its  schools.  After 
leaving  school  he  was  for  nearly  two  years  in. 
the  railway  mail  service,  after  which,  in  1891, 
he  entered  the  employ  of  Stanley  &  Co.,  under- 
takers, of  Memphis,  Tenn.  He  remained  with, 
them  six  years,  returning  to  Vincennes  in  1867. 
He  was  then  employed  by  his  father  until  he 
became  a  member  of  the  firm  as  above  stated. 
Since  the  death  of  his  father  Mr.  Gardner  has 
been  appointed  the  Democratic  member  of  the 
Metropolitan  Police  Board  of  Vincennes,  suc- 
ceeding his  father,  a  position  for  which  he  had 


FOUR  GENERATIONS  OF  GARDNERS 


the    hearty    endorsement    of    Republicans    and 
Democrats  alike. 

Mr.  Gardner  was  married  in  1897  to  Miss 
Ella  Whittle:  of  Vinrennes.  They  have  an  inter- 
rstinu;  little  daughter  of  five  years  and  an  in- 
fant son. 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


153 


PHOTOGRAPHERS. 
E.  E.  Shores. 

Elmer  E.  Shores  was  born  at  Waverly,  Iowa, 
July  2,  1862.  Came  to  Vincennes  1876.  Was 
graduated  from  the 
Vincennes  High  School 
ini  1880.  Taught  school 
two  years.  He  then 
studied  crayon  work 
and  in  1883  opened  a 
studio  for  this,  class  of 
work  in  St.  Louis.  To 
this  he  subsequently 
added  photogr  a  p  h  y  . 
Here  he  remained,  con- 
ducting a  'successful 
business  till  the  year 

1892,     when     he     came     to     Vincennes     and 
established   his   present  business,     Since- Sep-^ 
tember.  1895.  Mr.  Shores  has  been  traveling  for  < 
the   W.    A.    Seed   Dry   Plate   company,,  of   St.   ( 
Louis,  having  charge  of  eight  states  for  that  '" 
concern.     In  the  mean  time  his%business  here 
is  in  competent  hands  and  receives,- much  per-   ' 
sonal  attention  from  the  proprietor.  , The  busi- 
ness here  has   been  eminently  successful,   be- 
ing one  of  the  largest  in  the  state, "turning  out ' ! 
every  class  of  photography  knpwn  to  the  craft. 

Mr".    Shores    was.    in   1883.    parried   to   Miss,/ 
Anna   Bloom,   of   Vincenmes.     They   have  two 
•daughters. 

Edward  S.  Clark. 

Edward  S.  Clark  was  born  at  Assumption, 
Christian  county,  Illinois,  and  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Taylorville, 
attending  the  high 
school  of  that  city.  He^ 
remained  in  Christian 
county,  part'of  the  time^ 
on  a  farm.  .  until  17 
years  of  age,  when  he 
went  to  Indianapolis, 
where  he  learned  pho- 
tography and  has  since 
followed  that  profes- 
sion. He  remained  sev- 
en years  in  one  of  the 
leading  Indianapolis  galleries  then  spent  two 
years  in  a  Chicago  gallery.  From  Chicago  he 
took  a  tour  through  Wisconsin,  making  views 
for  the  Wisconsin  Ledger,  of  Milwaukee.  Re- 
turning to  Indianapolis,  he  was  again  employed 
in  a  leading  gallery  for  some  two  years,  after 


which  he  embarked  with  a  partner  in  business 
at  Noblesville.  After  near  two  years  sold  this 
business  and  returned  to  Indianapolis  where 
he  was  employed  for  about  five  years,  coming 
to  Viucennes  in  1899  as  operator  at  E.  E. 
Shores'  gallery,  where  be  has  since  been  em- 
ployed. Mr.  Clark  is  a  pastmaster  of  the  art 
and  has  given  excellent  satisfaction  to  the 
patrons  of  this  establishment.  Much  of  the 
finest  engraving  in  this  work  is  from  negatives 
taken  and  pictures  finished  by  Mr.  Clark. 

Martin  V.  Presnell. 

Martin  V.  Presnell,  photographer,  was  born 
and  reared  in  Vincennes  and  educated  in  the 
public  schools.  Mr., 
presnell  engaged  in  the 
business  of  photogra- 
phy in  1883,  and  has 
followed  it  continuous- 
ly since.  He  has  been 
near  five  years  at  his 
present  number,  207$ 
Main.  He  has  made  it 
a  point  to  keep  abreast 
of  the  imprivernents  in 
photography  and  his 
work  shows  him  as  a 

\  thorough  master  of  his  profession. 

A  number  of  the  portraits  in  this  volume  are 

-f row: photographs  from  his  studio. 

I.  E.  Townsley. 

Isaiah  E.  Townsley  Was'-born  on  a  farm  in 
Fountain  County,  Ind.,  in  1847.-  Was  educated 
in  the  schools  of  that 
county  and  remained 
on  the  farm  until  32 
years  of  age.  In  the 
winter  of  1864-5,  when 
in  his  17th  year,  Mr. 
Townsley  enlisted  in  the 
150th  Indiana  Volun- 
teers and  served  to  the 
end  of  the  war.  -  In 
INS2  he  came  to  Vin- 
cennes and  embarked 
in  business  as  a  pho- 
tographer, in  which  business  he  has  since  been 
engaged.  Mr.  Townsley  is  devoted  to  his  call- 
ing and  makes  a  superior  line  of  work.  Many 
of  the  illustrations  of  this  volume  are  from 
photographs  made  by  him.  Mr.  Townsley  was 
married  October  30,  188K  to  Miss  Eliza  Harris, 
of  Vincennes. 


134 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


Cassius  E.  Todd. 

Cassius  E.  Todd  was  born  at  Mt.  Vernon, 
Ohio,  Sept.  6,  1879,  and  educated  in1  the  schools 
of  Fredericktown  in 
that  state.  After  reach- 
ing manhood  Mr.  Todd 
spent  several  years  on 
a  farm.  Coming  to 
Vincennes  in  1897  he 
engaged  in  the  lumber 
business  with  hia 
father  at  the  corner  of 
Third  and  Scott  Streets, 
under  the  firm  name  of 
W.  J.  Todd  &  Co.  After 
three  years  in  this  bus- 
iness he  took  up  the  business  of  photography, 
to  which  he  had  previously  given  much  atten- 
tion. After  spending  some  months  in  the  gal- 
lery of  J.  S.  Thompson  he  bought  the  business 
in  April,  1901.  Mr.  Todd  is  an  industrious  and 
capable  young  man  and  can  at  all  times  be 
found  at  his  place  of  business,  308  N.  Second 
Street,  ready  to  take  a  good  photograph  for  a 
reasonable  price.  Mr.  Todd  was  married 
March  28,  1899,  to  Miss  Hayth-Hifdson, of  Vin- 
cennes. 

*       '•' 

ARCHITECTS  AND  CONTRACTORS. 
John  Hartigan. 

John  Hartigan  was  born  in  County  Limerick, 
Ireland,  June  24,  1850.  He  came  to  this  coun- 
try with  a  sister  in  1865,  direct  to  Evansvijle, 
where  he  remained  about  thirteen  years;  remov- 


Hartigan  Office  Building.  Second,  bet.  Main 
and  Vigo. 

ing  to  Vincennes  in  1878.  Mr.  Hartigan  received 
his  education  in  Ireland.  He  learned  the  trade  of 
stone  cutter  in  Evansville,  which  he  followed 


as  a  journeyman  for  about  eleven  years.  He 
then  established  a  tombstone  and  monument 
business  in  Vincennes,  which  he  conducted  for 
seven  years,  then  becoming  a  contractor  in 
which  he  is  still  engaged.  While  he  does  not, 
as  a  rule,  furnish  plans,  he  does  so  in  some 
instances  when  the  work  is  entirely  of  stone. 

Mr.  Hartigan  has  erected  a  large  number  of 
important  buildings  in  Vincennes,  either  in 
whole  or  in  part,  including  a  number  of  fine 
residences  and  public  buildings.  Among  the 
latter  are  the  West  End  School,  an  addition  to 
the  Vincennes  University,  etc.  He  was  also 
contractor  for  the  residences  of  Mr.  John 
Smith,  E.  Bierhaus,  J.  B.  La  Plante  and  many 
others.  Other  important  buildings  he  has 
erected  are  the  electric  ligiht  plant  at 
corner  Eleventh  and  Church  Streets  and  the 
stock  house,  bottling  department,  etc.,  of  the 
Eagle  Brewery.  In  addition  to  his  contract 
business  Mr.  Hartigan  is  a  l.'irge  dealer  in  Port- 
land cement.  Mr.  Hartigan  is  a  public  spirited 
man,  and  has  always  been  found  ready  to  lend 
a  hand  to  any  enterprise  that  tends  to  the  ad- 
vancement and  development  of  the  city. 
He  has  borne  an  important  part  in  se- 
curing to  Vincennes  a  number  of  industries, 
prominent  among  which  is  the  Vincennes  Nov- 
elty Works,  of  which  he  is  treasurer.  He  has 
now  in  hand  some  important  enterprises  which 
will  be  of  great  benefit  when  developed. 

Mr.  Hartigan  was  in.'ijried  in  1873  to  Miss 
Barbara  Snyder,  of  Evansville.  They  have 
two  sons  living. 

Stephen  Arnold. 

Stephen  Arnold,  contractor  and  builder,  42ft 
Church  Street,  was  born*  in  Alsace,  Prance  (now 
a  German  province), 
July  18,  1846,  and  there 
received  his  educatida 
arid  also  learned  the 
trade  of  carpenter:  and 
cabinetmaker  in  a  most 
thorough  manner,  ac- 
cordiag  to  the  require- 
ments of  continental 
Europe.  Soon  after  at- 
taining his  majority  he 
entered  the  French 
army,  where  he  served 

for  a  period  of  four  years.  It  was  during  his 
service  that  the  Franco-German  war  occurred 
and  in  this  he  saw  most  interesting  service.  He 


VI. \CENNKS   IN    PICTURE   AND   STORY 


135 


was  in  a  number  of  hard-fought  battles,  in  one 
of  which  he  received  a  German  bullet  in  his 
left  shoulder,  suffering  a  severe  wound.  This 
was  in.  the  battle  uf  (iravelotte,  the  most  im- 
portant and  terrible  battle  of  the  war,  and  one 
of  the  greatest  ever  fought  In  this  battle  175,- 
000  French  were  engaged  and  their  loss  in 
killed  and  wounded  exceeded  thirty  thousand. 
It  occurred  on  the  eighteenth  of  August,  1871. 

Soon  after  the  close  of  the  war,  Mr.  Arnold 
came  to  America,  direct  to  Viacennes,  making 
the  trip  from  Strasburg,  France,  to  Vincennes 
in  eleven  days.  He  has  since  coming  here  fol- 
lowed the  occupation  of  conti actor  anil  builder, 
and  his  services  have  always  been  in  demand 
as  one  of  the  most  thorough  and  reliable  mas- 
ters of  the  builder's  art.  He  has  done  the 
woodwork  on  many  of  the  finest  residences  and 
other  buildings  in  the  city. 

Mr.  Arnold  and  family  are  members  of  St. 
John's  German  Catholic  congregation  and  he  is 
a  member  of  Branch  533,  Catholic  Knights  of 
America,  and  also  of  the  Uniform  Rank.  He 
is  a  director  in  the  German  Mutual  Insurance 
Co.,  of  Vincennes. 

Mr.  Arnold  was  united  in  marriage  October 
24,  1873,  with  Miss  Mary  Memering,  of  Vin- 
cennes, who  is  a  native  of  Hannover,  Prussia, 
and  who  had  preceded  him  to  this  country  sev- 
eral years.  They  have  five  children  living  and 
five  dead.  The  living  are  four  sons,  John, 
Frank.  Herman,  Aloisius  and  one  daughter, 
Miss  Catherine.  Four  children  died  in  infancy 
and  early  chi'dhood  and  one  son,  Jorseph,  at 
the  age  of  eighteen  years. 

W.  H.  Moore. 

William  H.  Moore,  contractor,  was  born  in 
Richland  County,  Illinois,  May  4,  1854,  and  was 
educated  in  the  schools 
of  that  county.  His 
first  employment  was 
as  water  boy  to  a  con- 
struction gang  on  the 
O.  &  M.  Railway. 
Later  he  became  a 
newsboy  on  the  same 
line.  He  then  became 
a  fireman  and  received 
his  engineer's  license  at 
the  age  of  twenty-two 
years.  He  subsequent- 
joined  the  bridge  gang 
and  continued  in  this  line  of  construction  work 


for  twelve  years  with  the  O.  &  M.  and  was 
then  made-  inspector  of  bridges  for  the  entire 
line  from  Ciueinwiti  to  St.  Louis  and  also  on 
the  Springfield  branch  of  the  road.  In  1886  he 
resigned  this  position  and  became  a  general 
contractor  in  building  and  street  work  in  East 
St.  Louis.  He  came  to  Vincennes  in  1898,  and 
has  been  engaged  in  the  same  line  here  since 
that  time.  Since  coir  ing  to  Vincennes  he  has 
executed  a  number  of  important  contracts  in 
the  cit3'  and  vicinity,  his  latest  being  the  hand- 
some new  depot  of  the  Terre  Haute  Brewing 
Co.,  on  First  Street. 

He  has  also  built  a  large  amount  of  fine  side- 
walk. He  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  a  member  of 
Malluch  Court,  No.  45,  T.  B.  H.,  of  this  city. 

Mr.  Moore  was  married  in  February,  1877,  to 
Miss  Mary  Alice  Courter,  of  Wabash  County, 
111.  They  have  two  sons.  .  . 

D.  W.  Norton  &  Co. 

The  firm  of  D.  W.  Norton  &  Co.,  general 
contractors,  is  one  of  the  strong  and  substantial 
firms  added  to  the  business  fraternity  of  Vin- 
cennes lately.  They 
have  secured  office  ac- 
commodations and  per- 
manently located  with 
J.  S.  Spiker,  at  408* 
Main  Street,  where*  they 
will  be  pleased  to  con- 
fer with  any  person, 
firm  or  municipality 
having  work  in  their 
line,  whether  a  large  or 
small  amount  is  to  be 
done,  such  as  ditching, 

grading,  paving,  excavating,  sewer  construc- 
tion1, sidewalk  building,  etc.  The  firm  is  com- 
posed- of  D.  W.  Norton  and  J.  W.  Landrum  and 
has  been  for  a  number  of  years  largely  engaged 
in  this  line  of  work.  .  J'liey  are  familiar  with 
every  detail,  are  abundantly  responsible  and 
make  a  pohit  of  complying  strictly  with  the  re- 
quirements of  their  contracts.  Among  the  con- 
tracts executed  by  this  firm  in  the  past  two 
years  are  the  following: 

Cement  sidewalks  an(?  curbing  at  Mattoon, 
Illinois,  amounting  to  $20.000:  street  paving  at 
Champaign.  Illinois,  to  the  same  amount;  street 
paving  at  Lebanon,  Ind..  to  the  amount  of  $50,- 
000:  a  sewage  system  at  Martinsville,  Ind..  $•">(».- 
000;  large  contracts  for  sewers,  excavations,  ce- 
ment work,  etc.,  at  Terre  Haute  and  elsewhere. 


136 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


and  cement  sidewalks  and  curbing  on  Eighth, 
Ninth,  First  and  Busseron  Streets  in  Vincennes, 
to  the  amount  of  eighteen  thousand  dollars,  the 
latter  executed  during  the  summer  and  fall  of 
1901. 

They  do  not  ask  their  patrons  to  take 
their  work  on  faith,  but  make  a  positive  and 
unequivocal  five  years'  guaranty"  on  all  con- 
tracts executed  by  them.  During  the  past  year 
their  relations  with  the  city  and  business  men 
have  been  so  pleasant  and  their  bearing  has 
been  so  universally  business-like  that  they  have 
taken  a  high  place  in  the  estimation  of  our 
people,  by  whom  they  are  welcomed  to  our 
midst  as  a  valuable  acquisition  to  the  business 
world. 

Thomas  Campbell. 

Thomas  Campbell,  architect  and  builder,  cor- 
ner First  and  Perry  Streets,  was  born  in  Ire- 
land April  1,  1851,  and  came  to  this  country 
with  his  parents  at.fhe  age  of  three  years.  His 
father  located  on  a  farm  in  Richland  County, 
111.,  six  miles  south  of  Olney,  where  young 
Campbell  grew  to  manhood.  When  eighteen 
years  of  age  he  was  apprenticed  to  John  Bar- 
low, of  Olney,  with  whom  he  learned,  the  car- 
penter's trade.  After  completing  his  ap- 
prenticeship he  continued  to  work  at  his  trade 
in  Olney  for  one  year,  coming  to  Vincennes  in 
1873.  He  worked  here  as  a  journeyman  car- 
penter for  several  years,  embarking  in  his  pres- 
ent business  in  1892.  Mr.  Campbell  furnishes 
plans  for  the  greater  pa:-t  of  his  work  and  has 
to  his  credit  many  fine  buildings  in  this-  city 
and  neighboring  towns.  Among  these -are  the 
First  M.  E.  Church  of  tlna  city,  which  is  shown 
elsewhere,  the  business  block  at  north  corner 
Main  and  Third  Streets,  that  at  207-17  North 
Second,  residence  of  Fred  Bierhaus,  on  Fifth, 
between  Perry  and  Seminary,  residence  Guy 
Mc.Timsey.  414  N.  Sixth  the  Christian  Church 
at  Lawrenceville,  C.  P.  Church  at  Monroe  City 
and  M.  E.  Churches  at  Shoals,  Worthingfon, 
Carlisle  and  Farmersbur?,  rnd.  Also  superin- 
tended the  $50,000  addition  made  to  the  Grand 
Hotel  in  this  city  in  1900  Mr.  Campbell  dis- 
plays a  taste  in  design  and  a  genius  in  his 
plans  that  renders  his  work  popular.  He  is  a 
careful  superintendent,  permitting  no  deviation 
from  specifications  and  the  only  difficulty  he 
experiences  is  in  meeting  the  increasing  de- 
mand for  his  services.  Mr.  Campbell  was 
married  in  1876  to  Miss  Lucinda  Matters,  of 


Vincennes.     They  have  two  children  living  and 
one  dead. 

LIVERY. 
William  Simpson. 

William  Simpson,  livery,  15-21  North  Third, 
opposite  Grand  Hotel,  was  born  on  a  farm  four 
miles  east  of  Vincennes, 
Feb.  18, 1869.  He  attend- 
ed the  public  schools 
and  subsequently  Vin- 
c  e  n  n  e  s  University, 
almost  completing  the 
course  of  that  institu- 
tion. He  remained  on 
the  farm  till  1891  and 
was  for  four  years  sub- 
sequently a  full  partner 
in  the  Knox  Nuseries. 
In  December,  1895,  he 
accepted  a  position  in  the  hardware  and  im- 
plement house  of  Simpson,  Emison  &  Laue. 
Here  lie  remained  over  four  years  till,  in  1900, 
he  bought  the  livery  and  boarding  stable  at  the 
above  numbers,  which  he  has  since  conducted. 
Mr.  Simpson  is  not  only  a  genial  and  pleasant 
gentleman,  but  an  energetic  and  progressive 
man  and  the  business  under  his  management 
has  shown  material  advancement,  and  the 
number  of  its  customers  has  greatly  increased. 

Frank  Green. 

Green's  livery  stable,  Broadway  near  Busse- 
ron, was  established  by  William  Green,  who 
came  to  this  country 
from  Somersham,  Hun- 
tingtonsihire,  England, 
in  1831.  After  some 
years  spent  as  a  driver 
of  stages,  mainly  on  the 
Evansville  and  Terre 
Haute  line,  ^during  a 
considerable  part  of  the 
time  making  Vincennes 
a  stopping  place,  he,  in 
1836.  in  partnership 
with  Samuel  Emison, 
established  a  livery  business  in  Vincennes. 
They  continued  in  partnership  till  1S55.  con- 
ducting a  livery  and  stage  business,  their  sta- 
ble was  on  the  east  corner  of  Second  arid  Broad- 
way. The  stable  was  built  on  its  present  site 
in  1863  and  the  business  has  had  a  continuous 
existence  since.  With  his  advancing  years,  Mr. 


VIXCEXXES  IN  PICTURE  AXD  STORY 


137 


Green,  the  elder,  found  in  his  son  Frank  a 
steady  and  reliable  business  man  on  whom 
his  mantle  could  fall  with  no  fears  that  it  would 
not  rest  on  worthy  shoulders.  Since  1890  Frank 
has  conducted  the  business  uninterruptedly, 
save  for  a  period  of  two  years  during  which 
he  resided  in  Indianapolis.  Under  his  manage- 
ment Green's  Livery  has  always  done  its  full 
share  of  business.  Familiar  withv  every  detail, 
Mr.  Green  permits  nothing  but  the  most  faith- 
ful attention  from  his  employes  and  ttjfe  best 
service  to  his  patrons.  . 

John  F.  Mail. 

John  F.  Mail,  proprietor  of  Mail's  livery,  was 
born  in  Johnson  township,  Knox  county,  July 
14,  1860.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of- the 
county  and  engaged  in  fanning  on.  obtaifiing 
his  majority.  Having  a  good  business  head  as 
well  as  the  necessary  energy  and  *  push,  Mr. 
Mail's  farming  operations  were  eminently  suc- 
cessful and  he  soon  accumulated  a  competence. 
In  August,  1891,  he  bought  the  Caney  livery, 
boarding  and  sale  stables,  at  22  South  Sixth 
street,  which  he  continues  to  conduct.  Mr.  Mail 
has  probably  the  largest  and  most  commodious 
buildings  in  the  city  and  is  always  to  be  found 
at  his  post  ready  to  accommodate  his  trade, 
which  under  his  management  is  showing  a 
healthy  growth. 

Mr.  Mail  was  married  in  1885  to  Miss  Annie 
Johnson,  of  Johnson  township.  They  have  four 
children. 

<$» 

CIVIL  ENGINEERS, 
J.  S.  S piker. 

Jacob  S.  Spiker  was  horn  in  Clay  Bounty, 
Coming  to  Vincennes  in  1883,  :he  en- 
tered the  Vincennes 
University  J  and  was 
graduated  therefrom  in 
18S7.  The  following 
year  he  was  elected 
surveyor  of  Knox 
County.  After  serving 
very  acceptably  to  his 
constituents  for  some- 
thing over  three  years, 
Mr.  Spiker  resigned  the 
office  for  the  purpose 
of  taking  a  special 
course  in  civil  engineering  at  Purdue  Univer- 
sity, which  he  did.  After  leaving  the  uni 


Illinois. 


versity  Mr.  Spiker.  in  1893,  opened  an  office  in 
Vincennes  for  the  practice  of  his  chosen  pro- 
fession, also  prepared  an  index  to  the  Knox 
County  records  for  the  purpose  of  abstracting 
titles,  in  which  his  office  has  done  a  large  busi- 
ness, notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  increas- 
ing demand  for  his  professional  services  has 
compelled  him  to  leave  this  branch  mainly  in 
the  hands  of  his  associates. 

Mr.  Spiker  is  a  thoroueh  master  of  his  pro- 
fession, a  careful  and  exacting  superintendent, 
permitting  nothing  short  of  perfect  compliance 
with  specifications  in  work  which  he  super- 
vises. He  has  been  employed  very  largely  in 
the  construction  of  levees,  drainage  ditches, 
roads  and  bridges,  and  so  favorably  has  he  be- 
come known  through  the  excellence  of  his  work 
that  his  services  are  in  demand  in  an  ever 
broadening  field.  He  has  been  compelled  to 
call  in  the  aid  of  a  number  of  assistants.,  To 
a  considerable  extent  his  services  have  been  in 
demand  as  consulting  engineer  in  matters  per- 
taining to  heating  and  various  structural  work. 
Mr.  Spiker  was  in  1898  elected  a  member  of  the 
City  Council  from  the  Third  Ward  and  has 
been  one  of  the  most  careful  and  serviceable 
members  of  that  body.  Mr.  Spiker  was  mar- 
ried October  23,  1891,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Hoi- 
lingsworth,  of  Vincennes.  They  have  one  son. 

A.  C.  Spiker. 

Augustus  C.  Spiker  was  born  in  Clay  County, 
Illinois,  July  1,  1872.  When  he  was  twelve 
years  of  age  his  father 
removed  to  Stoddard 
County,  Missouri  (his 
mother  having  previ- 
ously died),  and  here  he 
grew  to  man'hood,  be- 
ing employed  on  the 
farm  and  as  salesman 
m  a  store.  His  father 
dying  in  1891,  he  came 
to  Vincennes  in  May 
of  that  year  and  at- 
tended Vincennes  Uni- 
versity during  the  school  year  of  1891-2.  He 
then,  in  the  fall  of  1892,  entered  Purdue  Uni- 
versity, which  he  attended  for  four  years  and 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  June,  1896. 
His  class  record  having  given  him  a  high 
standing  with  the  authorities,  he  was  at  once 
appointed  an  instructor  in  practical  mechanics 
and  drawing,  a  position  which  be  held  for  two 


138 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND  STORY 


years,  in  the  course  of  which,  on  the  produc- 
tion of  a  satisfactory  thesis,  he  received  the 
master's  degree  of  C.  E.  In  1898  Mr.  Spiker 
came  to  Vincennes  and  opened  an  office  for  the 
practice  of  his  piofession. 

In  January,  19(11,  he  was  engaged  to  en^- 
gineer  and  superintend  the  construction  of  a 
large  system  of  drainage  in  Stoddard  and  New 
Madrid  Counties,  Missouri,  and'  has  been  em- 
gaged  there  since,  completing  contracts  aggre- 
gating over  $351,000.  On  the  seventh  of  Janu- 
ary, 1902,  he  let  an  additional  contract  for  $87,- 
000  worth  of  work  which  will  begin  soon.  His 
thorough  mastery  of  his  profession  places  him 
in  position  to  take  charge  of  all  sorts  of  con- 
struction work  and  the  care  with  which  he 
supervises  work  entrusted  to  him  entitles  him 
to  the  consideration  of  all  who  have  need  of 
the  services  of  a  competent  and  faithful  civil 
engineer. 

Mr.  Spiker  was  married,  Sept.  26,  1900,  to 
Miss  Mabel  Loten,  grand-daughter  of  Mrs.  E. 
J.  Loten,  of  the  city. 


LAUNDRIES. 
Koh-l-Noor  Laundry. 

The  Koh-I-Noor  Laundry  was  established  in 
1880  and  become  the  property  of  Mr.  S.  S.  Bur- 
net  by  purchase  in  1891.  The  Koh-I-Noor  is 
supplied  with  a  most  complete  equipment  of 
the  most  modern  and  approved  machinery 
throughout,  and  under  the  efficient  manage- 
ment of  Mr.  S.  S.  Eastham  gives  universalsat- 
isfaction  to  its  large  and  increasing  custom. 
Besides  its  city  patronage  it  has  a  large  list  of 
patrons  in  the  territory  adjacent  and  tributary 
to  Vincennes.  It  gives  steady  employment  at 
good  wages  to  twenty-five  to  thirty  people. 

Stephen  S.  Burnet,  proprietor  Koh-I-Noor 
Laundry,  was  born  in  Orange,  Cayahoga  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  April  8,  1834.  He  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  and  at  Hyram  College, 
Hyram,  Ohio.  His  first  employment  in  a  busi- 
ness way  was  in  a  wholesale  liquor  store  at 
Nashville.  Tenn.  He  came  to  Vincenaes  in 
1862.  Later  he  was  many  years  engaged  here 
in  furniture  business  and  subsequent  to  this  in 
lumber  and  the  manufacture  of  boxes,  which 
he  continued  to  about  the  time  he  purchased 
the  laundry,  as  noted  above  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  of  the  Knights 
of  Honor  and  a  Republican  in  politics. 


Mr.  Burnet  was  married  in  18(38  to  Miss  Kate 
Nance,  of  Putnamville. 

Ivory  Steam  Laundry. 

The  Ivory  Steam  Laundry  was  established  in 
1899  by  Pomil  &  Purcell  and  was  successfully 
conducted  by  them  until  sold  to  the  Merchant 
Brothers,  present  proprietors,  in  October,  1901. 
It  is  equipped  with  modern  machinery  of  the 
best  makes  and  is  able  to  turn  out  a  large 
amount  of  first-class  work,  giving  excellent 
satisfaction  to  its  custom,  which  is  by  no  means 
confined  to  Vincennes,  extending  over  a  wide 
radius  of  the  surorunding  territory. 

The  Merchant  Brothers  are  young  men  of  ex- 
cellent parts,  lull  of  energy  and  closely  atten- 
tive to  business.  Both  are  native  to  the  city 
and  no  one  stands  fairer  than  they  in  the  esti- 
mation of  the  people. 

Since  taking  charge  of  the  Ivory  Laundry  the 
Merchant  Brothers  have  added  not  a  little  to 
its  equipment  and  capacity  by  putting  in  a 
number  of  modern  machines  of  the  most  ap- 
proved pattern.  They  have  further  improve- 
ments in  contemplation  and  are  determined  to 
make  the  Ivory  one  of  the  very  best  plants  in 
the  state. 

John  A.  Merchant,  the  senior  member,  took 
a  course  in  stenography  and,  after  two  years 
in  the  employ  of  the  McJinsey  Buggy  Company, 
entered  the  division  freight  office  of  the  B.  & 
O.  railroad,  in  1894.  After  one  and  a  half  years 
here  he  was  in  1896  transferred  to  the  Spring- 
field, 111.,  office,  where  he  remained  until  Octo- 
ber, 1901,  when  he  resigned  his  position  to  be- 
come an  active  partner  in  the  Ivory  Laundry. 

Foster  B.  Merchant  founii  his  first  employ- 
ment after  leaving  schoo)  as  driver  for  the 
Ivory  Laundry  and  has  thus  been  with  it  from 
the  first  dtry  it  ran  to  the  present.  He  is  famil- 
iar with  every  branch  of  the  business  and  has 
become  expert  in  the  operation  of  some  of  the 
machintery. 


INSURANCE,  ETC. 
Albert  P.  DeBruler. 

Albert  P.  DeBruler  was  born  on  a  farm  in 
Pike  Co.,  Ind.,  July  4,  1842.  Was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  and  enlisted  in  the  army  at 
the  age  of  17  years,  joining  the  Seventeenth  In- 
diana Infantry  and  remaining  to  the  end  of  the 
war.  serving  four  years  and  two  months.  Was 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


139 


a  corporal  when  mustered  out.  His  regiment 
belonged  to  Wilder's  brigade  and  was  a  part 
of  the  time  attached  to  the  Fourteenth  Army 
Corps,  but  a  part  of  the  time  acted  independ- 
ently. It  belonged  to  the  Army  of  the  Cumber- 
land, was  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  and 
passed  through  the  famous  Atlanta  campaign. 
Mr.  DeBruler  was  wounded  at  Selma,  Ala- 
bama, April  2,  1865,  and  still  carries  the  ball. 
He  was  taken  to  a  rebel  hospital  at  Montgom- 
ery, where  he  remained  till  the  close  of  the 
war. 

After  the  war  Mr.  DeBruler  spent  several 
years  trading  on  the  river  and  then  went  into 
planing  mill  business  at  Petersburg.  Dispos- 
ing of  this  business  he  returned  to  the  river 
for  a  time.  Was  subsequently  two  years  in 
marble  business  at  Petersburg  and  was  Deputy 
Sheriff  of  Pike  County  two  years.  Came  to 
Vincennes  in  1881  and  embarked  in  Real  Es- 
tate and  Insurance  business  in  which  he  has 
continued  ever  since.  Mr.  DeBruler  repre- 
sents six  fire,  one  life,  one  accident  and  one 
live  stock  company  and  does  a  good  business, 
being  recognized  as  a  thoroughly  reliable  and 
responsible  man.  He  has  a  clientele  which  has 
remained  steadily  with  him  through  a  long 
term  of  years. 

Mr.  DeBruler  was  married  July  6,  1886,  to 
Miss  Harriet  A.  Long,  of  Wheatland,  Ind. 

Milton  P.  Ghee. 

Milton  P.  Ghee  was  born  at  Thompson, 
Geauga  Co.,  Ohio,  March  3,  1822.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  schools  of  that  place  and  at  Lord's 
Seminary,  Painesville,  Ohio.  Mr.  Ghee  came  to 
Vincennes  in  1845  and  became  a  teacher  in  the 
schools  of  Knox  Co.  In  1847  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Sophia  Langdon,  of  Palmyra  Township, 
who  still  survives  and  with  whom,  in  1897,  he 
celebrated  their  golden  wedding  anniversary. 
Soon  after  marriage  he  became  Deputy  Auditor 
of  Knox  Co.,  under  Abraham  Smith,  in  which 
capacity  he  continued  to  serve  till  1854.  In 
1856  he  bought  an  interest  in  the  Daily  Gazette 
ami  a  book  and  stationery  business  run  In  con- 
nection therewith  under  the  firm  name  and 
style  of  Harvey.  Mason  &  Co.,  the  other  mem- 
bers of  the  firm  being  George  R.  Harvey,  still 
of  the  city,  and  James  A.  Mason,  now  deceas- 
ed. Mr.  Ghee  was  city  editor  and  advertising 
manager  of  the  Gazette.  About  1859  the  pa-, 
per  was  sold  to  Dr.  Hubbard  M.  Smith  and 


Hon.  C.  M.  Allen  and  Mr.  Ghee  was  retained 
in  the  same  capacity  till  the  paper  later  passed 
under  the  control  of  Wm.  Denny,  in  1860. 

In  1800  Mr.  Ghee  became  Deputy  United 
States  Revenue  Collector,  under  Hon.  H.  i$. 
Shepard,  which  position  he  held  for  some  six  or 
seven  years,  until  the  close  of  Mr.  Shepard's 
term  of  office.  In  1869  he  became  United 
States  gauger  of  distilled  spirits  and  so  re- 
mained until  1874.  In  the  meantime  he  had 
established  himself  in  a  fire  amd  life  insurance 
business  and  subsequent  to  that  date  devoted 
himself  exclusively  to  this  line. 

Mr.  Ghee  was  in  1854  admitted  to  the  prac- 
tice of  law,  but  followed  the  profession  but  a 
short  time.  His  first  vote  was  cast  in  1844  for 
Henry  Clay,  the  Whig  candidate  for  President. 
He  continued  a  member  of  the  Whig  party  till 
the  formation  of  the  Republican  party,  voting 
for  Fremont  in  1856,  and  adhering  consistently 
to  the  tenets  of  that  party  ever  since.  Mr. 
Ghee  was  the  Republican  nominee  for  repre- 
sentative in  the  legislature  from  Knox  Co.,  in 
1898,  and  his  popularity  is  attested  by  the  fact 
that  he  ran  something  like  400  ahead  of  his 
ticket. 

Mr.  Ghee  has  four  children,  one  son  and  three 
daughters. 

Col.  George  W.  McCoy. 

George  W.  McCoy  was  born  in  Knox  County, 
Ind.,  and  attended  the  schools  of  the  county. 
He  remained  on  the 
farm  till  1879,  when  he 
entered  Purdue  Univer- 
sity, from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1884, 
taking  the  degree  of  B. 
Sc.  On  leaving  college 
Mr.  McCoy  came  to 
Vincenmes.  In  1885  he 
was  admitted  to  the 
bar,  but  has  not  active- 
ly practiced  his  profes- 
sion, having  devoted 

himself  principally  to  the  business  of  fire  in- 
surance, in  which  he  has  been  eminently  suc- 
cessful. In  1889  Mr.  McCoy  was  appointed 
Captain  of  Co.  A,  First  Regiment.  I.  N.  G.,  and 
in  1892  became  major  of  the  same  regiment. 
In  December  of  the  same  year  he  was  pro- 
moted to  the  lieutenant  colonelcy.  On  the 
declaration  of  war  against  Spain,  in  1898,  the 


140 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND   STORY 


First  Regiment  was  mustered  into  the  service 
of  the  United  States  as  the  One  Hundred  and 
Fifty-Ninth  Indiana  Volunteers,  and  Col.  Mc- 
Coy went  with  it  to  the  field.  After  the  close  of 
the  war  Colonel  McCoy  was  promoted  to  the 
colonelcy  of  the  regiment  and  still  holds  that 
commission. 

Col.  McCoy  was  married  JMov.  19,  1885,  to 
Miss  Gernand,  of  Danville.  111.  They  have  no 
children  living,  having  lost  a  son  and  a  daugh- 
ter by  death  in  infancy. 

Wm.  L.  Te  Walt. 

Will  L.  TeWalt  was  born  in  Vincennes,  Sept. 
3,  1865,  and  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  the 
city,  including  the  uni- 
versity, which  he  at- 
tended for  a  number  of 
years..  He-  subsequent- 
ly erfterecL  the  Terre 
Haute:  Commercial  Col- 
lege and  was  graduat- 
\,f  'ed  therefrom  in  1882. 
His  first  business  was 
that  of  breeder  of 
blooded  trotting  and 
racing  stock,  imported 
German  coach  horses 
and  hiah  grade  saddlers,  at  the  same  time  con- 
ducting a  successful  livery  business. 

In  1884  he  established  the  Wabash  Valley 
Stock  farm,  which  became  famous  for  the  qual- 
ity of  stock  it  produced.  This  business  he 
continued  till  1892.  When  he  went  west  and 
spent  one  year  at  Monte  Visto,  Colorado,  as  a 
broker  in  mining  stocks,  and  also  doing  a  real 
estate  and  loan  business.  Returning  to  Vin- 
cennes in  1893  he  established  his  present  real 
estate  and  insurance  business,  buying  an  in- 
surance business  theretofore  conducted  by  Mr. 
Fred  Hall.  He  has  since  added  to  the  busi- 
ness until  he  now  does  every  species  of  insu- 
rance known  to  this  section.  He  represents 
seven  of  the  leading  fire  companies,  also  Tor- 
nado. Steam  Boiler,  Plate  Glass,  Live  Stock, 
Life  and  Accident.  He  also  represents  the  Fi- 
delity and  Deposit  Bond  Co.  His  insurance 
linos  have  had  a  steady  and  satisfactory 
growth  and  Mr.  TeWalt  stands  exceptionally 
high  in  insurance  circles,  adjusting  losses  for 
his  companies  in  Southern  Indiana  and  Illinois. 
In  the  other  side  of  his  business,  that  of  real 
estate  find  loans.  Mr.  TeWalt  has  been  equally 


a  marked  success.  He  has  handled  much  val- 
uable property  in  a  way  which  denotes  his  pe- 
culiar abilities  in  this  direction  and  to  give 
most  excellent  satisfaction  to  his  clients,  and 
he  has  reason  to  pride  himself  on  the  character 
of  the  clientele  he  has  built  up.  In  the  midst 
of  his  large  business  he  has  yet  been  able, 
through  bis  thorough  system,  to  fiind  time  to 
execute  numerous  trusts  imposed  upon  him  in 
the  way  of  Guardianships,  Administration  of 
estates  and  executorships,  in  all  which  capaci- 
ties he  has  served  most  satisfactorily. 

He  is  a  member  of  a  number  of  fraternal  and 
beneficiary  orders,  in  most  of  which  he  holds 
responsible  official  positions.  He  is  scribe  of 
Mallnch  Court,  No.  45,  Tribe  of  Ben  HUT, 
Record  and  Finance  keeper.  Vincennes  Tent, 
No.  1-19.  K.  O.  T.  M.;  chairman  of  the  commit- 
tee on  credentials  of  the  Suprece  Council  of 
American  Plowmen,  of  Logansport,  Ind.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  of 
Vincenntes,  and  is  director  and  treasurer  of  the 
Wabash  Building  and  Loan  Association. 

Mr.  TeWalt  was  married  Sept.  3.  1884,  to 
Miss  Alice,  daughter  of  Dr.  John  Williams,  of 
Olney.  111.  They  have  one  daughter,  Miss 
Leona. 

Maitland  A.  Claycomb. 

Maitlamd  A.  Claycomb  was  born  in  Lawrence 
County.  Illinois,  Nov.  10,  1863,  removing  to 
Knox  County,  Ind.,  to 
make  his  home  with 
his  graindparents  on  the 
death  of  his  mother, 
in  1869.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  schools  of 
Knox  County,  remain- 
ing on  the  farm  until 
23  years  of  age,  when 
he  engaged  in  ,  a  mer- 
cantile business  at  Giro, 
Gibson  County,  secur- 
ing and  naming  the 

postotfice  at  that  place.  Remaining  here  but 
six  months  he  removed  to  Monroe  City  in  May, 
1887.  where  he  continued  in  business  till  Sep- 
tember. 1900.  when  he  sold  his  store  and  came 
to  Vincennes,  where  he  ably  represents  the 
Aetna  Life  Insurance  Co.,  of  Hartford,  Conn. 
Mr.  Claycomb  has  always  been  an  earnest 
worker  in  the  cause  of  Democracy  and  was  in 
1896  elected  to  the  state  legislature  to  repre- 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STOUY 


141 


sent  Knox  County,  and  re-elected  in  1898,  serv- 
ing with  ability  in  the    sessions    of  1897    and 

1899.  Mr.   Claycomb  was  married  in  1899  to 
Miss  Barbara  M.  Marchino,  daughter  of  Baltzer 
Marchino,  of  Vincennes.     They  have  two  chil- 
dren. 

John  Selby. 

John  Selby  was  born  on  a  farm    in    Spencer 
County,   Ind.,   where  he  remained   until   nine- 
teen years  of  age.    Af- 
ter   leaving     home    he 
spent   one   and   a    half 
years   in   Indiana    Uni- 
versity at  Bloomington. 
He  was  then    for    two 
years    connected    with 
a  gents'  furnishing 
store  at  Mount  Pulaski, 
111.     After   some   years 
spent  in    various    occu- 
pations he  embarked  in 
the  work  of  life    insu- 
rance,  engaging  with  the  New  York  Life  In- 
surance Co.,   at  Evansville.     For  this  line  of 
work  he  showed  a  special  talent  and  was  emi-' 
nently  successful  from    the   beginning.       Was 
placed  in  charge  of  the  Vincennes  field  in  July, 

1900,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged  with 
an  energy  that  has  proven  most  profitable  to 
himself  and  his  company,  and  has  easily  dis- 
tanced all  competitors.     About  the  first  of  'the 
year  1902  he  was  made  manager  of  a  district 
composed  of  a  number  of  counties,  with"  head- 
quarters at  Vincennes. 

Carlin  Utterback. 

Carlin  Utterback,  general  agent  of  the  Na- 
tional Surety  Company,  was  born  in  Clay  Coun- 
ty, Illinois,  where  he  received  a  common  school 
education,  after  which,  a  three  years'  mixed 
course  in  the  Vincennes  University. 

He  became  a  resident  of  Vimcennes  in-. 1888, 
since  which  time  he  has  engaged  in  the  book 
and  stationery,  insurance  and  surety  bond  busi- 
ness successively,  having  now  the  general 
agency  of  Soxithern  Indiana  for  the  National 
Surety  Company,  of  340  Broadway,  IJew  York, 
and  transacting  a  general  surety  business 
through  a  local  board,  composed  of  George  W. 
Donaldson  and  Charles  Bierhaus.  Vice-Presi- 
dents;  Clarence  B.  Kessinger,  Attorney,  and 
himself  Resident  Assistant  Secretary. 

Mr.  Utterback  has  built  up  a  profitable  busi- 


ness and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading 
surety  bond  men  of  this  section  of  the  United 


States.  He  is  also  actively  engaged  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  natural  adv-afttages  of  the 
city,  and  improvements  in  the  North  Side, 
where  he  has  valuable  real  estate  interests, 
having  recently  platted  and  annexed  a  subdi- 
vision of  1JM)  desirable  residence  building  lots, 
where  many  beautiful  cottages  are  now  in 
course  of  construction. 

Mr.  Utterback  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Broulette,  of  Vincennes,  October,  1887,  and  to 
them  have  been  born  one  son,  Ben,  and  three 
daughters,  Esther,  Catherine  and  Ruth. 


MISCELLANEOUS. 
F.  A.  Thuis. 

Frank  A.  Thuis,  bottler  of  soda,  cider,  seltzer 
and  other  "soft"  drinks,  15  South  Third  Street, 
was  born  in  Vincennles,  November  11,  1859.  He 
attended  the  schools  of  the  city,  inculding  the 
High  School  and  Vincennes  University.  After 
leaving  school  he  was  for  a  time  employed  in 
R.  J.  McKenney's  Bank  and  then  entered  the 
employ  of  his  father,  Mr.  H.  F.  Thuis,  who  con- 
ducted a  confectionery  and  bottling  works.  He 
was  later  admitted  to  a  partnership  in  the  busi- 
ness and  became  sole  proprietor  in  1895,  by 
purchase  from  his  father.  Mr.  Thuis  enjoys  a 
large  city  trade  and  also  ships  largely  over  a 


142 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


radius  of  twenty  to  thirty  miles:  His  goods 
have  a  reputation  for  purity  and  excellence 
that  makes  them  popular  wherever  used. 

Mr.  Thuis  is  a  leading  member  of  the  Im- 
proved Order  of  Red  Men  of  the  city,  and  has 
held  all  the  important  offices  of  Peankeshaw 
Lodge,  No.  108,  of  the  city.  He  has  for  ten 
years  held  the  office  of  "Chief  of  Records" 
save  when  filling  another  office  incompatible 
therewith.  He  has  been  for  many  years  chair- 
man of  the  Democratic  City  Central  Commit- 
tee. Mr;-  Thuis  was,  in  November,  1884,  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Mary  Raben,  of  St.  Wendel,  Posey 
County,  Ind.,  who  conducts  a  prosperous  mil- 
linery business  at  No.  217  Main  Street.  They 
have  three  sons  and  one  daughter. 

John  B.  Zuber. 

John  B.  Zuber  was  born  in  Vincennes,  May 
9,  1858.  He  was  educated  at  the  German 
Catholic  Parochial 
Schools  till  ten  years  of 
age,  whent  he  went  to 
regular  work,  driving  a 
team.  This  he  con- 
tinued to  do  for  several 
years,  assisting  to  sup- 
port a  widowed  mother. 
Later  he  worked  some 
two  or  three  years  in 
the  poultry  house  of 
Bierhaus  &  Sons.  He 
afterwards  became 

weighmaster  at  the  Baltic  Mills,  then  owned 
by  .Louis  Schliep.  Here  he  remained  for  six 
years,  when  he  embarked  in  the  butcher  busi- 
ness with  his  brother  Joseph,  in  1890.  In  1895 
Mr.  Zuber  bought  his  brother's  interest  in  the 
business  and  now  conducts  two  shops,  one  at 
523  Main,  and  the  other  at  913  N.  Seventh 
Street.  He  has  his  own  large  and  well  ap- 
pointed slaughter  house,  where  his  meats  are 
dressed  in  the  very  best  manner.  Mr.  Zuber 
was  married  in  1878  to  Miss  Elvira  Lovell,  of 
Henderson,  Ky. 

A.  M.  Yelton. 

A.  M.  Yelton  was  born  in  Butler,  Pendleton 
County,  Ky.,  and  received  'his  education  in  the 
schools  of  that  town.  After  leaving  school  he 
learned  telegraphy,  soon  acquiring  great  pro- 
ficiency, so  much  so  that  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years  he  became  train  dispatcher  on  the 
M.  &  O.  Railroad.  This  position  he  held  for 


three  years.  In  1874  he  came  to  Vincennes  as 
agent  for  the  C.  &  V.  and  I.  &  V.  Railroads, 
now  the  Big  Four  and  Pennsylvania.  He  con- 
tinued as  such  agent  for  seventeen  years,  until 
he  entered  upon  the  duties  of  clerk  of  the  Cir- 
cuit Court  to  which  office  he  was  elected  on 
the  Democratic  ticket,  in  1890.  As  circuit 
clerk  Mr.  Yeltou  gave  eminent  satisfaction,  be- 
ing at  all  times  courteous  and  obliging,  and  his 
niomination  and  election  to  a  second  term  was 
accomplished  without  great  effort  on  his  part. 

Mr.  Yelton  is  the  Democratic  nominee  for 
alderman  of  the  Third  Ward  in  the  pending 
campaign. 

Mr.  Yelton  was  married,  Dec.  14,  1875,  to 
Miss  Carrie  J.  Shaw,  of  Alexandria,  Campbell 
Co.,  Kentucky.  They  have  two  sons  and  one 
daughter. 

J.  C.  Wagner. 

John  C.  Wagner  was  born  in  Knox  County 
Nov.  8,  1857,  and  came  to  Vincennes  in  1872. 
Learned  the  jeweler's 
trade  with  Bitterman 
Brothers,  who  conduct- 
ed a  business  at  No. 
206  Main  Street.  He 
remained  with  this 
firm  four  years,  the  last 
two  of  which  were  in 
Evansville,  whither 
they  removed.  Mr. 
Wagner  then  followed 
his  trade  at  Freeland- 
ville  about  two  years. 

In  May,  1878,  he  took  employment  with  Perry 
Tindolph.  with  whom  he  remained  till  1889. 
In  February  of  the  latter  year  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  E.  J.  Julian,  under  the  firm 
mime  of  Julian  &  Wagner.  Their  business  was 
located  at  the  corner  of  Third  and  Main  Streets. 
This  partnership  was  dissolved  in  December, 
1898,  and  in  the  following  February  Mr.  Wag- 
ner established  his  present  business  at  429 
Main,  where  a  upiform  courtesy  and  a  careful 
.study  of  the  wante  of  his  patrons  has  led  to  a 
most  satisfactory  development,  and  where  he 
carries  a  lajjge  ?n<d  elegant  lino  of  watches, 
clocks,  jewelry,  sterling  silverware,  cut  glass 
and  similar  goods  usually  carried  by  the  jew- 
elry trade. 

Mr.  Wagner  was  married  in  1884  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Briggs,  of  Evansville.  They  have 
two  children. 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE   AND  STORY 


143 


W.  H.  Propes 


William  H.  Propes.  manager  ef  the  Vincennes 
branch  of  the  Terre  Haute  Brewing  Co.,  was 
born  in  Lawrence  Coun- 
ty, Illinois,  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in 
the  schools  of  Law- 
renceville.  His  first 
business  experience 
was  as  an  undertaker 
in  the  employ  of  his 
father,  who  was  in  bus- 
iness in  Lawremceville. 
Here  he  remained  six 
years  till  offered  his 
present  position  in 
1892.  Since  coming  to  Vincenues  in  that  year 
Mr.  Propes  has  built  up  for  his  company  a  fine 
trade,  which  has  necessitated  the  erection  dur- 
ing the  past  year  of  the  fine  new  depot  on 
First  Street,  which  is  shown  elsewhere.  He 
has  taken  a  high  standing  among  the  business 
men  of  Vincennes. 

W.  A.  Reiman. 

William  A.  Reiman.  florist,  104  Sycamore 
Street,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  Feb.  21, 
1851,  and  educated  in 
the  schools  of  that  city. 
After  leaving  the  pub- 
lic schools  he  attended 
the  Free  Academy  of 
the  city,  from  which 
he  was  graduated 
in  1872.  His  first 
employment  was  with 
the  banking  house  of 
Kidd.  Pierce  &  Co., 
fiscal  agents  of  the 
Wabash  Railway.  A. 

Boody,  president  of  the  railway,  was  also  a 
member  of  this  concern  and  through  him  Mr. 
Reiman  was,  when  only  twenty-two  years  of 
age.  made  a  passenger  conductor  on  that  road, 
an  occupation  which  he  followed  om  this  and 
other  roads  for  twenty  years,  his  last  position 
of  this  kind  being  on  the  Frisco,  out  of  Fort 
Smith.  Ark.  This  he  resigned  in  1892,  to  be- 
come special  agent  of  the  Fidelity  and  Casualty 
Company  on  the  Texas  lines.  This,  after  some 
years,  he  resigned  to  assume  the  management 
of  the  Vincenines  Calorific  Brick  and  Tile  Co., 
in  which  he  was  financially  interested.  After 
two  and  a  half  years  with  the  company,  he 


bought  the  green  houses  and  good  will  of  John 
A.  Balmer,  which  he  has  since  conducted  with 
the  exception  of  two  years  during  which  he 
was  again  on  the  road  for  the  Fidelity  & 
Casualty  Co.  Mr.  Reiman  has  a  taste  for  this 
line  of  business  and  under  his  management  it 
has  had  a  steady  growth  which  has  compelled 
him  constantly  to  enlarge  his  houses  and  in- 
crease -his  facilities,  until  he  now  has  one  of 
•the  most  complete  plants  in  the  state,  and  a 
constantly  increasing  outside  demand  for  his 
product. 

Mr.  Reiman  has  been  twice  married,  his  first 
wife  being  Miss  Mary  Louise  Bakeman,  of 
Syracuse.  N.  Y.,  to  whom  he  was  married  in 
1875.  Her  death  occurred  in  1885.  He 
was  married  to  Mrs.  Fannie  B.  Callender,  of 
Vincennes,  Dec.  15,  1898.  They  have  one  son. 

R.  J.  Greenhow. 

Richard  J.  Greenhow  was  born  in  Vincennes 
Feb.  3,  1845.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  the  city,  completing 
his  education  at  the 
Vinicennes  University, 
from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1860.  His 
first  employment  was 
as  clerk  in  the  Vin- 
cennes postofiice  under 
Dr.  H.  M.  Smith.  He 
subsequently  engaged 
in  book  and  stationery 
business,  buying  the 
business  of  Capt.  Wat- 
sou  when  the  latter  enlisted  in  the  army.  The 
business  was  resold  to  Captain  Watson  on  his 
return  from,  the  war,  and  on  the  appointment 
of  Mr.  Greerihow  to  a  clerkship  in  the  paymas- 
ter's department  at  Washington.  He  was  sub- 
sequently a  clerk  in  the  Pension  Bureau.  After 
two  years  he  was  assigned  to  the  Commisary 
Department  of  the  South  .and  afterwards  on 
the  Western  frontier,  being  station^  at  Forts 
Fletcher  and  Riley,  while  the  famous  Custer's 
Seventh  Cavalry  was  being  organized.  Mr. 
Greenhow  was  well  acquainted  with  all  the 
officers  of  this  famous  but  ill-fated  command. 
In  18(38  'he  returned  to  Vinicennes  and  was  con- 
nected with  the  construction  of  the  I.  &  V.  and 
C.  &  V.  Railroads  under  Colonel  C.  M.  Allen, 
and  subsequently  became  agent  for  these  rail- 
roads, in  which  position  he  remained  for  some 
years.  For  the  past  twenty  years  he  has  been 


144 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


engaged  in  business  as  a  grain  dealer.  He  is 
the  Vincennes  correspondent  of  Gill  &  Fisher 
of  Baltimore  and  Philadelphia.  Mr.  Greenhow 
was  married  in  November,  1870,  to  Miss  Eliza- 
beth B.  Hays,  of  Gosport,  Ind.  They  have  two 
sons. 

Samuel  Riddle. 

Samuel  Riddle  was  born  in  Warrick  County, 
Ind.,  and  educated  in  the  schools  of  that  coun- 
ty. He  learned  the  barber's  trade  in  Oakland 
City  and  there  followed 
it  for  a  period  of  ten  or 
twelve  years.  He  came 
to  Vincentaes  in  1896 
and  soon  after  became 
proprietor  of  a  leading 
shop.  This  business  he 
disposed  of  in  *3ie 
spring  of  1901,  and 
after  prospecting  for  a 
time  for  another  loca- 
tion decided  there  is  no 
place  like  Vincennes, 

and  accordingly  bought  his  present  business,  at 
No.  516  Main',  where  his  old  friends  have 
quickly  found  him  out. 

Mr.  Riddle  was  married  April  29,  1890,  to 
Miss  Ida  M.  Richardson,  of  Oakland  City.  They 
have  two  children. 

H.  J.  Hellert. 

Henry  J.  Hellert  was  born  in  Prussia,  Ger- 
many, March  21,  1845.  He  attended  school 
there  until  14  years  of 
age.  Came  to  America 
with  his  parents  in  1860, 
at  the  age  of  15  years. 
They  came  direct  to 
V  in  c  e  n  n  e  s,  where 
Henry  obtained  em- 
ployment at  various  oc- 
cupations for  a  time 
and  then  was  for  some 
years  in  the  employ  of 
the  E.  &  T.  H.  Rail- 
road, at  first  on  a  work 
train,  and  the  last  two  years  as  fireman.  In 
1866  he  embarked  in  the  saloon<  business  at 
Eleventh  and  Main  Streets,  a  year  later  moving 
to  1003  Main.  In  1868  he  erected  the  build- 
ing at  the  corner  of  Tenth  and  Main  Streets 
where  he  has  since  continued  in  business.  In 
1870  Mr.  Hellert  added  a  grocery  department 


which  he  continued  to  conduct  for  ten  years. 
In  1880  he  began  the  business  of  bottling  Hack 
&  Simon's  beer,  which  he  continued  for  16 
years.  In  the  spring  of  1895  lie  embarked  in 
the  wholesale  liquor  trade,  in  which  he  has 
since  done  a  thriving  and  profitable  business  at 
Tenth  and  Main,  and  later  also  at  6  and  8  North 
First  Street,  having  bought,  in  1899,  a  business 
long  conducted  there  by  S.  Gimbel,  and  after 
his  death  by  his  'heirs. 

Mr.  Hellert  was  married  in  1870  to  Miss  Lucy 
Althoff,  of  Vincennes.  They  have  two  sons 
living  and  one  daughter  recently  deceased. 

A.  S.  Reel. 

Abe  S.  Reel  was  born  in  Palmyra  Township, 
Knox  County,  Indiana,  Oct.  22,  1843.  Was 
educated  in  the  schools 
of  the  county  and  at 
Otterbein  University  of 
Westerville,  O.  Though 
but  eighteen  years  of 
age  when  the  war  of 
the  Rebellion  broke 
upon  the  country,  he 
was  early  to  the  front, 
enlisting  in  the  Seventh 
Battery,  Indiana  Light 
Artillery,  in  1861.  He 
continued  in  the  ser- 
vice till  the  end  of  the  war.  The  Seventh  be- 
longed to  the  artillery  brigade  commanlded  by 
General  Terrell,  who  was  killed  at  Perry ville, 
Ky,.  It  took  an  active  part  in  nine  battles  of 
considerable  importance,  including  Shiloh, 
Chickamauga  and  Stone  River,  and  in  168 
skirmishes,  more  or  less  bloody.  In  the  last 
battle  in  which  it  was  engaged,  Jonesboro,  Ga., 
the  brigade  lost  every  third  man. 

Mustered  out  of  the  army  ini  December,  1864, 
Mr.  Reel  entered  Otterbein  University,  at 
Westerville,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  two 
years  and  then  returned  to  the  farm.  While 
remaining  on  the  farm  Mr.  Reel  devoted  much 
of  his  time  to  saw  milling  for  ten  or  twelve 
years;  also  to  tubular  wells.  He  removed  to 
Vincenntes  in  1895,  embarking  in  business  as  a 
plumber  and  contractor.  Later  he  bought  the 
building  at  114  Main  Street,  where  the  busi- 
ness is  located. 

Mr.  Reel  has  always  been  prominent  in 
church  work.  Was  for  twenty  years  an  elder 
in  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church  and 
for  five  years  in  the  Presbvterian  Cturch,  of 


MNCENNE3   IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


145 


which  he  is  still  a  member.  Was  for  three 
years  county  superintendent  of  Sunday  school 
work  and  three  years  townsihip  superintendent. 

He  was,  in  December,  1901,  elected  com- 
mander of  Jeff.  C.  Davis  Post,  No.  16,  G.  A.  R., 
of  the  Department  of  Indiana,  located  at  Vin- 
cennies. 

Mr.  Reel  was  married  Jan.  2,  1867,  to  Miss 
Martha  V.  Pea,  his  present  wife.  They  have 
live  daughters. 

Joseph  Kitchell. 

Joseph  Kitchell  was  born  in  Springfield,  Ohio, 
Aug.  13,  1851,  and  attended  the  schools  of  that 
city.  When  twenty 
years  of  age  he  came  to 
Indiana  and  located  at 
Patoka,  where  he 
learned  .the  trade  of 
shoemaker  and  fol- 
lowed that  occupation 
till  187t'»,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Vincennes, 
where  he  has  dince  re- 
sided.^ Mr.  Kitchell 
has  recently  patented  a 
device  to  take  the  place, 
of  the  hook  fastener,  so  largely  used  on  shoes,;,, 
and  his  invention  is  highly  commends!  by  shoe 
men,  many  of  whom  believe  it  will  displace  the 
hook  and  thus  prove  a  most  profitable  discov- 
ery4  Our  subject  has  always  been  a  stanch 
Republican  and  one  of  the  most  faithful  work- 
ers in  the  party. 

Mr.  Kitchell  was  married  in  May,  1882,  to 
Miss  Lizzie  Flood,  of  Vincennes.  They  have 
one  son  and  one  daughter. 

E.  Yunghans. 

Emil  H.  Younghans  was  born  in  Saxony,  Ger- 
many, Aug.  13,  1855.  Came  to  America  in 
1871,  to  Vincennes  in  1876,  having  spent  the  in- 
tervening time  at  Terre  Haute.  Mr.  Yunghans 
learnted  the  trade  of  cigar  maker  in  Germany 
and  established  his  factory  here  in  the  year 
1876  in  a  small  building  on  the  present  site  of 
the  Vincennes  Implement  &  Carriage  Co. 
In  1877  he  removed  to  a  building  at  325  Main 
Street,  where  he  remained  till  1883,  when  he 
purchased  the  lot  and  erected  and  occupied 
the  building  at  present  in  use,  at  409  Main. 
Mr.  Younghans  employs  an  average  of  five 
men  in  his  factory  and  manufactures  a  num- 
ber of  popular  brands  of  hi^h  grade  cigars,  in- 


cluding "Little  Cubans,"  "No.  150,"  etc.  He 
also  makes  a  number  of  private  brands  for  Job- 
bers and  other  dealers,  in  which  line  he  has 
quite  an  extensive  and  growing  trade. 

Mr.  Younghans  was  married  in  1878  to  Miss 
Julia  Kolb,  of  Vincennes.  They  have  a  fam- 
ily of  ten  children  living. 

H.  S.  Latshaw,  D.  D.  S. 

Dr.  Henry  S.  Latshaw,  dentist,  was  born  at 
Ottawa,  Illinois,  May  14,  1846,  and  when  about 
eight  or  nine  years  of 
age  removed  with  his 
mother  to  Evansville, 
Ind.,  where  he  attended 
the  public  schools  for  a 
time, '  but  being  com- 
pelled by^circumstances 
to  support  a  widowed 
molber  and  three 
younger  children,  his 
educational  acquire- 
ments are  chiefly  due 
to  his-  own  persevering 
labors  at  leisure  moments  and  the  assistance 
of  a  friend:  At  the  age  of  17  he  took  up  the 
study  of  dentistry  under  Dr.  Isaiah  Haas,  of 
Evans.ville,  under  whom  he  studied  for  seven 
years,  the  kind-hearted  doctor  knowing  the 
stern  necessities  of  his  case,  paying  him  a  small 
salary,  contrary  to  the  usual  practice  in  such 
cases,  increasing  it  from  time  to  time  as  his  in- 
creasing usefulness  warranted.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-two  years  Dr.  Latshaw  struck  out  for 
himself,  going  to  Carlisle,  Ind.,  where  he  met 
and  on  June  8,  1869,  married  Miss  Nannie  E.. 
Sullivan.  The  doctor  continued  to  practice  his- 
profession  with  success1  at  Carlisle  till  1881, 
when  he  removed  to  Petersburg,  Ind.,  where  he 
engaged  in  drug  business,  Having  a  half  inter- 
est in  two  stores.  He  was  doing  a  prosperous 
anfd  promising  business,  when  misfortune  over- 
took him  and  in  a  twinkling  the  accumulations 
of  years  were  wiped  out  by  fire.  About  1884 
he  came  to  Vincennes  and  for  about  ten  months 
was  in  charge  of  a  drug  store  for  W.  A. 
Markee,  after  which  he  again  took  up  the  prac- 
tice of  dentistry,  which  he  has  continued  to  the- 
present  time,  building  up  a  large  practice, 

Dr.  Latshaw  Is  a  member  of  a  large  number 
of  fraternal  and  beneficiary  societies,  in  all  of 
which  he  is  prominent.  He  is  an  Odd  Fellow, 
a  Knight  of  Pythias,  member  of  the  Encamp- 
ment, IT.  R.  K.  P.,  Daughters  of  Rebecca,  I.  O. 


146 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE   AND   STOKY 


R.  M.,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  Tribe  of  Ben  Hur,  The 
Escenic  Order  and  the  Noble  Order  of  Buffa- 
loes, being  a  charter  member  of  Herd  No.  1, 
and,  as  the  doctor  says,  "last  but  not  least,  a 
Prince  of  the  Orient."  He  is  P.  C.  and  Rep. 
of  Dioscuri  Lodge,  No.  47,  K.  of  P.,  and  has  held 
the  office  of  Master  of  Finance  since  Janiuary, 
1893.  Has  been  financier  of  Vincennes  Lodge, 
No.  29,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  since  January,  1893,  keeper 
of  the  Wampum  in  I.  O.  R.  M.,  since  1897.  He 
also  held  the  office  of  keeper  of  tribute  of  Mal- 
luch  Court,  T.  B.  H.,  one  term,  and  is  now  drill 
master  of  the  degree  team  of  that  court. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Latshaw  have  two  children  liv- 
ing, Mrs.  A.  J.  Firnhaber,  of  Evansville,  and 
Frank  H.  Latshaw,  of  the  city. 

McJimsey's  Opera  House. 

The  Mc-Jimsey  Opera  House  is  the  successor 
of  Green's  Opera  House,  which  was  first  built 
in  1860  'by  William 
Green.  The  building 
was  burned  in  1885  and 
rebuilt  by  Mr.  Green 
the  same  year.  The 
property  was  bought  by 
J.  T.  McJimsey  and 
name  changed,  in  18s.">. 
It  has  a  seating  capaci- 
ty of  1250^  including  the 
balcony.  The  stage  is 
large  $nd  commodious' 
being' 45x75  feet  aOd  fit- 
ted with  every  modern  convenience  for  the 
proper  staging  of  the  drama  and  the  conven- ; 
ient  shifting  of  scenery.  The  auditorium  is  ele- 
gantly finished,  decorated  and  furnished  and  its 
acoustic  properties  are  all  that  could  be  de- 
sired. 

The  manager,  Mr.  Frank  Greeru,  is  a  veteran, 
having  been  for  twenty  years  manager  of  this 
house,  save  during  an  interim  of  two  years, 
when  he  was  a  resident  of  Indianapolis.  Mr. 
<Jreen  knows  a  good  thing  in  the  way  of  a 
dramatic  organization  when)  he  sees  it  and 
bears  well  in  mind  the  demands  of  his  patrons, 
so  that  Vincennes  has  no  dearth  of  that  which 
is  really  good  in  the  way  of  entertainment. 
Careful  of  a  well  earned  and  well  established 
ivputation  for  discernment  and  veracity  in  con- 
n"ction  with  the  stage,  Mr.  Green  does  not  reck- 
1  ssly  advertise  that  as  good  which  is  in  reality 
in  different  and  the  patrons  of  McJimsey  The- 
ater have  learned  to  rely  with  confidence  on  his 


recommendations.  No  city  of  its  size  in  the 
United  States  enjoys  a  higher  class  of  theatri- 
cal performances  than  does  Vincennes. 

John  Hack. 

John  Hack  was  born  in  Hesse  Darmstadt  in 
1842.  Came  to  this  country  with  his  parents 
when  five  years  of  age. 
settling  at  Adrian, 
Mich.,  where  our  sub- 
ject attended  the 
public  schools,  and 
made  his  home  until 
1861,  when  he  enlisted 
in  Company  B,  47th 
Ohio  infantry,  and  was 
mustered  into  the  Unit- 
ed States  service  June 
15,  1861,  and  remained 
in!  the  service  till 
Aug.  20,  1864.  While  engaged  in  running  the 
rebel  blockade  at  Vicksburg,  May  3,  1863,  Mr. 
Hack,  with  his  command,  was  captured  and 
lay  in  Libby  prison  until  Oct.  14,  when  he  was 
exchanged  and  rejoined  his  regiment  two  days 
before  the  battle  of  Missionary  Ridge,  in  which 
he  participated.  From  here  his  regiment  went 
to  the  relief  of  Burnside  at  Knoxville,  winter- 
ing at  Chattanooga.  In  the  Atlanta  campaign, 
which  followed,  Mr.  Hack's  command  was  in 
more  than  a  dozen  battles  during  the  ensuing 
six  months.  He  was  mustered  out  before  At- 
lanta, Aug.  2,  1864,  after  three  years  and  two 
months'  service.  Returning  to  Adrian,  Mich., 
he  jwrent  to  work  in  a  machine  shop  and  fol- 
lowed his  trade  for  a  number  of  years.  In 
1876  he  came  to  Vincennes  as  foreman  of  the 
old  O.  &  M.  round  house,  where  he  remained 
eleven  years.  During  this  time  he  served  four 
years,  1885-89,  in  the  City  Council,  from  the 
Fifth  Ward.  On  the  building  of  the  water 
works  Mr.  Hack  erected  the  machinery  and 
served  as  engineer  for  a  time.  He  then  ac- 
cepted a  position  as  foreman  of  the  machine 
shops  of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  and  Pacific 
Railroad,  at  Trenton,  Mo.,  where  he  remained 
eleven  years,  returning  to  Vincennies  in  October, 
1900,  to  embark  in  the  oil  business.  He  is  pro- 
prietor and  manager  of  the  Vincennes  Oil  Co., 
which  is  doing  a  lively  and  growing  business  at 
wholesale  and  retail. 

Mr.  Hack  was  married  Oct.  24,  1864.  to  Miss 
Dell  F.  Cooli\v.  of  Adrian,  Mich.  They  have 
two  daughters  and  onte  son. 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


147 


Frank  Lieberman. 

Frank  Lieberinan  was  born  in  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  July  1,  1854,  and  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  that  city  and  those  of  Evansville,  to 
which  place  his  parents  removed  when)  he  was 
eleven  years  of  age.  He  there  learned  the 
trade  of  bookbinder,  which  he  followed  for  six 
or  seven  years.  In  1875  he  came  to  Vincennes 
and  established  himself  in  business  as  book- 
binder and  stationer,  first  at  403  Main  Street, 

. 
soon   after   removing   to  504  Main,   where   he 

remained  eight  years,  removing  to  his  present 
location,   500  Main,   in  1884.       In    addition    to 
stationery  Mr.  Lieberman  deals  in  pictures  and 
frames  and  kindred  specialties.      His  bindery, 
which  turns  out  a  large  variety  of  first-class' 
work,  is  often  taxed  to  its  utmost  capacity  tor 
meet  the  demands  made  upon  it. 

Mr.  Lieberman  was  married  in  1881  to  Miss? 
Sarah.  Kapps,  of  Vincennes.      They  have  one 
son  living  and  one  daughter  dead. 

Wm.  Davidson. 

William  Davidson,  booka  and  stationery,  425 
Main  Street,  was  born  in  County  Antrim,  Ire- 
land, Oct.  24,  1833.  After  receiving  a  good  edu- 
cation in  the  schools  of  that  county  he  learned 
the  jeweler's  trade  and  with  his  widowed 
mother  anid  brother,  when  in  his  twentieth 
year,  he  came  to  America,  locating  in  Darke, 
one  of  the  Western  Reserve  counties,  Ohio.  He 
worked  at  his  trade  for  a  time  at  Sidney.  Ohio, 
and  then,  after  spending  some  time  in  travel, 
took  an  engagement  with  the  firm,  of  Clayton 
&  Jenkins,  of  Cincinnati,  the  largest  wholesale 
jewelers  in  the  West  at  that  time.  Here  he  re- 
mained two  years  and  then  came  west  on  a  call 
to  Princeton,  Ills.,  where  he  worked  at  his 
trade  for  about  one  year.  From  there  he  went 
to  Oskaloosa,  Iowa,  arriving  there  by  stage  in 
March,  1856.  •  Here  he  remained  till  February 
of  the  following  year,  when  he  decided  to  turn 
with  the  tide  to  Kansas.  He  embarked  in  busi- 
ness at  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  where  he  had  a 
flourishing  trade  for  over  seven  years.  Mr. 
Davidson  relates  that  he  became  a  citizen  of 
that  state,  and  there  cast  his  first  vote,  which 
was  done  viva  voce.  In  1864  he  disposed  of 
his  business  there  and,  finding  himself  pos- 
sessed of  a  goodly  sum  of  money,  looked  about 
for  a  time  and  finally  decided  to  locate  in  Vin- 
cennes. On  Oct.  24.  1864,  the  31st  anniversary 
of  his  birth,  he  bought  a  book  and  news  business 


which  had  been  established  at  217  Main  Street. 
After  a  short  time  he  removed  to  No.  207  Main 
Street.  Two  or  three  years  later  he  rented 
the  store  at  No.  314  Main  Street,  where  he  con- 
tinued in  busintess  something  like  thirty  years, 
until  Jan.  1,  1901,  when  he  removed  to  his  pres- 
ent location,  No.  425  Main,  where  he  handles  a 
general  line  of  school  and  miscellaneous  books, 
school  supplies,  blankbooks,  stationery,  etc., 
and  in  addition  conducts  a  general  news 
agency,  handling  the  dailies  and  all  the  stand- 
ard magazines  and  periodicals. 

Mr.  Davidson  was  married,  Jan.  17,  1865,  to 
Miss  Mary  E.  Piquett,  of  Cincinnati,  who  de- 
parted this  life  on  the  2d  day  of  October,  1901, 
leaving  two  daughters. 


CITY  OFFICERS. 
George  E.  Greene,  Mayor. 

George  E.  Greene,  mayor  of  the  city,  was  born 
and  reared  in  Vincennes.  His  father,  George 
E.  Greene,  bought  the 
Western  Sun  in  1854, 
and  continued  to  pub- 
lish it  until  his  death,  in 
1870.  Mr.  Greene  at- 
tended the  public 
schools  and  also  St. 
John's  College,  Dayton. 
Ohio,  and  Cecilian  Col- 
lege, near  Elizabeth- 
town,  Ky.  He  entered 
the  office  of  the  "Sun" 
in  1873,  where  he 

learned  the  trade  of  compositor,  which  he  fol- 
lowed in  Vincennes,  varying  it  with  reportorial 
and  editorial  work,  until  1882,  when  he  accepted 
a  position  on  the  Courier-Journal  of  Louisville. 
Ky.  Here  he  remained  one  year.  Returning 
to  Vincennes  he  was  engaged  in  newspaper 
work  until  1886,-  when!  he  was  elected  city 
clerk,  and  to  this  office  he  was  twice  re-elected. 
In  1894  Mr.  Greene  was  elected  mayor  of  the 
City  of  Vincennes  and  re-elected  in  1898,  being 
now  in  the  eighth  year  of  his  service  as  mayor. 
Mr.  Greene  is  an  able  man  and  has  made  a  con- 
servative an'd  safe  chief  magistrate,  while  at 
all  times  ready  to  do  whatever  may  be  done 
for  the  advancement  of  the  interests  of  the  city. 


148 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


Photo  by  Shores 


Thomas  Eastham,  Treasurer. 

Thomas  Eastham  was  born  in  Nelson  County, 
Ky.,  February  25,  1835.  After  leaving  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Bardstown  he  attended 
St.  Joseph  College,  of  the  same  place. 
His  father  was  engaged  in  the  stage 
business,  conducting  a  line  from  Louis- 
ville to  St.  Louis,  via  Vincennes,  and 
after  leaving  school  our  subject  identi- 
fied his  interests  with  those  of  his 
father.  Vtacennes  being  the  half-way 
point  and  therefore  a  convenient  one 
for  headquarters,  they  removed  to  this 
place  in  1851.  They  conducted  a  daily 
line,  one  coach  arriving,  one  departing 
every  twenty-four  hours  from  each  end 
of  the  line.  The  time  to  St.  Louis  was 
thirty-six  hours,  frequent  changes  of 
horses  being  made  at  relays  of  ten  or 
twelve  miles  each,  along  the  route. 
This  business  was  continued  till  1838, 
when  the  O.  &  M.  Railroad  going  into 
operation  rendered  it  unprofitable.  It 
required  no  less  than  300  horses  to 
meet  the  demands  of  the  line.  Messrs. 
Eastham  &  Son  subsequently  conduct- 
ed a  livery  business  for  a-  time  and 
then  embarked  in  the  lumber  business, 
having  large  saw  and  planing  mills  to 
which  was  later  added  a  furniture 
factory.  Mr.  Isaac  N.  Eastham,  fath- 
er of  our  subject  aind  senior  member 
of  the  firm,  dying  in  1868,  the  latter 
continued  the  business  some  thirteen 
years  longer,  till  1891,  when  it  was  dis- 


and  at  McKendree  College,  of  Lebanon,  111.  He 
became  a  teacher  and  taught  in  the  schools  of 
Illinois  for  a  period  of  four  years,  after  which 


continued  and  property  sold  to  the  O.  &  M. 
Railroad,  whose  freight  depot  was  erected  on 
its  site. 

Mr.  Eastham  then  retired  to  'his  farm  near 
the  city,  where  he  remained  till  the  year  1896. 
In  the  spring  of  1897  he  was  elected  treasurer 
of  the  city,  which  office  lie  still  holds  and  to 
which  he  has  been  renominated  by  the  Demo- 
cratic Party  in  the  pending  campaign. 

Mr.  Eastham  was  married  in  1801  to  Miss 
Jane  Burnet,  of  Vincennes.  They  have  four 
children. 

Daniel  Bonner,  President  Met.  Police  Bd. 

Daniel  L.  Bonner  was  born  at  Montfort, 
Grant  County,  Wisconsin,  March  12,  1856.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Carlyle, 
Illinois,  to  which  place  his  father  had  removed, 


CITY  HALL-Built  J886,  Fourth  and  Main 

he  came  to  Vincennes  and  was  for  one  year 
book-keeper  at  the  Atlas  Mills.  He  was  then 
book-keeper  five  years  for  E.  Bierhaus  &  Sons, 
wholesale  grocers,  subsequently  traveling  one 
year  for  the  same  firm.  He  then  became  a 
traveling  salesman  for  Hulman  &  Co.,  import- 
ers and  jobbers,  of  Terre  Haute,  and  has  since 
continued  in  that  connection.  He  is  also  large- 
ly engaged  in  the  general  merchandise  busi- 
ness, owning  and  conducting  a  store  at  Decker, 
Knox  County,  and  another  at  Hazelton,  Gibson 
County,  Indiana. 

Mr.  Bonner  has  always  been  a  staunch  and 
uncompromising  Republican  in  politics  and  a 
worker  in  behalf  of  the  party  principles.  He 
has  on  several  occasions  been  pressed  forward 
by  his  frienids  for  high  political  preferment,  be- 
ing strongly  endorsed  for  Bank  Examiner  in 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


149 


1896,  and  in  1898  came  within  one  and  one-half 
votes  of  being  the  Republican  nominee  for  Con- 
gress, Judge  Gardner,  of  Washington,  having 
won  the  nomination  by  that  narrow  margin. 
His  merit  was  in  some  degree  recognized  by 


<Gov.  Durbin.  who  in  1901  appointed  him  metro- 
politan police  commissioner  for  three  years. 
•On  the  organization  of  the  board  Mr.  Bonner 
was  elected  chairman  and  has  continued  to 
hold  that  position  to  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Bonner  was  married  in  1877  to  Miss  Ara- 
tine  Ludington.  of  Cleveland.  Ohio.  They  have 
•one  son,  Leonard,  who  is  manager  of  the  Hazel- 
ton  store,  and  two  daughters.  Miss  Anne  Lucile, 
now  in  college,  and  Miss  Clara  Bernice,  at 
home. 

(For  biographies  of  Messrs.  Gardner  and  Tin- 
dolph,  the  other  members  of  the  board,  see  un- 
der business  heads  elsewhere.) 

Thomas  L  Robertson,  late  Capt.  Police. 

Thos.  Robertson  was  born  in  Vincennes,  Nov. 
4,  1854,  and  attended  the  schools  of  this  city. 
After  leaving  school  he  worked  for  a  time  on 
a  farm.  He  then  learned  the  printer's  trade, 
working  at  the  case  for  some  nine  years.  In 
1888  he  became  riding  deputy  sheriff  under 
Dr.  McDowell.  This  position  he  resigned  after 
two  years  to  become  deputy  city  marshal  under 
Frank  Johnson,  in  November.  1890.  This  posi 
tion  he  filled  most  acceptably  for  over  seven 
years,  when  he  was.  in  1898.  elected  to  the  of- 


flrst  term  in  this  office  when,  by  the  passage 
of  the  metropolitan  police  law,  the  office  was 
abolished  and  he  was  by  the  commissioners 
made  captain  on  the  new  force,  May  1,  1901. 
Captain  Robertson  has  a  clean  record  as  a  po- 
lice officer,  being  sober,  active,  fearless  and  ef- 
ficient, and  deserves  well  at  the  hands  of  the 
appointing  power.  The  captain  is  the  regular 
Democratic  nominee  for  city  clerk  in  the  ensu- 
ing May  election. 

Captain  Robertson  was  married  in  1880  to 
Miss  Emma  Sellers.  They  have  three  daugh- 
ters. 

(Since  the  above  was  written,  Captain  Rob- 
ertson has  resigned  the  captaincy  and  is  making 
the  race  for  city  clerk  with  strong  prospects  of 
election.) 

Ayers  J.  Taylor. 

Ayers  J.  Taylor  was  born  in  Jassamine  Coun- 
ty, Kentucky,  Oct.  5,  1849.  His  father,  who 
was  a  slave-holder,  dis- 
posed of  his  slaves  and 
other  property  and  re- 
moved to  Boone  Coun- 
ty, Indiana,  in  1854,  and 
here  the  son  was  reared 
and  educated.  In  1863, 
at  the  age  of  14  years, 
he  enlisted  in  the  116th 
Indiana  Volunteers  and 
served  thence  to  the 
close  of  the  war  of  the 
Rebellion,  having  twice 
re-enlisted,  and  seeing  some  hard  service.  His 
first  active  service  was  in  the  campaign  for  the 
repulsion  of  Morgan  from  Indiana.  After  the 
war  Mr.  Taylor  was  for  nineteen  years  con- 
nected with  a  circus  and  with  it  visited  every 
section  of  the  union.  He  came  to  Vincennes  in 
1890.  After  tending  bar  for  some  years  he 
embarked  in  saloon1  business  for  himself  in 
1895.  In  1896  Mr.  Taylor  became  an  independ- 
ent candidate  for  member  of  the  City  Council 
from  the  First  Ward,  but  was  defeated  by  a 
small  plurality.  In  1898  he  was  the  regular 
Democratic  nominee  by  almost  two  to  one  ma- 
jority, and  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  thirty- 
eight  votes  in  the  election  a  few  weeks  later, 
im  a  ward  that  had  been  very  close  in  previous 
elections.  In  the  council  Mr.  Taylor  is  always 
active,  energetic  and  eloquent  in  advocacy  of 
measures  which  meet  his  approval,  and  often 


fice  of  marshal.      He  was  in  the  midst  of  his  A»  takes  the  initiative  in  important  legislation. 


150 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


Mr.  Taylor  was  married  in  1880  to  Miss  Hul- 
da  Carr,  of  Providence,  R.  I. 

Jere  Hershey,  City  Engineer. 

Jere  Hershey  was  born  in  Martinsburg,  Pa., 
Oct.  15,  1839.  He  moved  with  his  parents  to 
Wabash  County,  Illinois,  when  a  small  boy, 
and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  schools  of 
that  county.  For  ten 
years  Mr.  Hershey 
taught  in  the  schools  of 
Wabash  and  Lawrence 
Counties  111.,  and  Knox 
County,  Ind.,  coming 
to  Vincennes  in  1865. 
He  was  one  year  with 
Chas.  S.  Kabler,  civil 
engineer,  and  then  be- 
came county  surveyor 
for  one  year.  In  May,  1871,  he.  was  elected 
city  engineer  and  has  held  the  office  continuous- 
ly since  that  date,  having  been  many  times  re- 
.elected.  His  official  services  have  given  emi- 
nent satisfaction. 

Mr.  Hershey  was  in  1863  married  to  Miss 
Martha  J.  Jackmam,  of  St.  Francisville,  111. 
They  have  one  son  living,  Mr.  Joseph  B.  Her- 
slit'V,  civil  engineer,  Vimcennes,  and  who  was 
for  six  years  county  surveyor  of  Kuox  County. 


TOWNSHIP  OFFICERS. 
Frank  Horsting,  Trustee. 

Frank  Horsting  was  born  at  Coefield,  near 
Munster,  Westphalia,  Prussia,  January  31,  1831. 
He  came  to  this  coun- 
try with  his  parents 
when  fourteen  years  of 
age.  They  took  ship  at 
the  port  of  Bremer- 
haven  in  a  sailing  ves- 
sel and  were  exactly 
eight  months  on  the 
sea,  arriving  at  the  port 
of  New  Orleans.  Soon 
after  landing  they  came 
to  Vincennes,  where 
he  has  since  resided. 
His  father  located  on  a  farm  near  the  city  and 
Frank  worked  ?t  various  occupations,  including 
six  months  5m  a  tan  yard  conducted  by  John  C. 
Holland.  He  finally  learned  the  trade  of  shoe- 
maker, which  he  followed  for  eighteen  years. 


He  then  embarked  in  saw  mill  business  on  the- 
river  front  at  the  site  of  Harrison  Park  in  Vin- 
cennes. This  he  continued  for  some  years  and 
then  formed  a  partnership  in  the  grocery  busi- 
ness with  Chas.  G.  Mathesie,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Mathesie  «fc  Horsting.  They  were  lo- 
cated at  205  Main  Street.  After  about  two  and 
one-half  years,  Mr.  Horsting  bought  his  part- 
ner's interest.  He  continued  the  business  for 
about  seven  years  till  1884,  when  he  sold  the 
grocery  and  went  into  boot  and  shoe  business, 
which  he  continued  for  two  years.  In  1886  Mr. 
Horsting  was  elected  trustee  of  Vincennes 
Township  and  served  four  years  in  this  capaci- 
ty. He  then  engaged  in  the  lumber  business, 
which  he  conducted  for  four  years.  At  the  end, 
-of  that  time  he  closed  this  out  and  became  a 
salesman  in  the  grocery  store  of  John  Burke, 
and  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Burke  he  managed 
the  store  for^Vlrs.  Burke  until  it  was  sold  to 
Wm.  Tromley  in  1900.  In  November,  1900,  Mr. 
Horsting  was  again  elected  trustee  of  Vin- 
cennes Township,  the  duties  of  which  office 
now  occupy  his  time  and  attention. 

Mr.  Horsting  was  married  in  1856  to  Miss 
Mary  A  Knirihn.  They  have  nine  children  liv- 
ing and  two  dead. 

Edward  Weisert,  J.  P. 

Edward  Weisert  was  born  in  kingdom  of 
Wurtemberg,  Germany,  July  21,  1839.  He  wa» 
educated  at  Heilbronn 
Government  School. 
Came  to  this  country 
with  two  sisters,  in 
1857,  when  18  years  of 
age.  Landing  in  New 
York,  they  were  met  by 
Charles  M.  Weisert,  a 
brother,  who  had  pre- 
ceded them  and  who- 
was  already  located  in 
Vincennea,  where  they 
soon  after  joined  him. 

After  about  a  month  Edward  departed  for  New 
Orleans.  La.,  where  he  found  employment  and' 
where  he  remained  until  the  capture  of  the  citj 
by  the  government  forces  in  1863.  Here  he 
was  a  member  of  the  French  Legion,  a  home- 
guard  organized  for  the  protection  of  the  city 
in  case  of  a  negro  uprising.  Colonel  Reauch- 
ereaux.  After  the  capitulation  of  New  Or- 
leans, Mr.  Wt'isert  took  ship  for  New  York, 
but  the  vessel  was  pressed  into  service  of  the- 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


151 


government  as  a  dispatch  boat  and  sent  to  Key 
West  and  other  points,  greatly  extending  the 
voyage.  Finally  reaching  New  York,  he  re- 
mained there  three  years,  two  of  which  were 
spent  in  the  Cooper  Institute.  He  then  spent 
one  year  in  the  oil  regions  of  Pennsylvania  as 
superintendent  of  wells  for  a  large  New  York 
oil  company.  In  18(30  he  returned  to  Vincennes, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  He  was  engaged 
in  general  merchandise  and  lumber  business; 
was  also  largely  interested  in  agriculture,  own- 
ing and  conducting  four  farms.  lu  1887  Mr. 
Weisert  engaged  in  real  estate  and  loans,  which 
business  he  has  followed  to  the  present  time. 
In  the  summer  of  1901  he  was  appointed  a  jus- 
tice of  the  peace. 

Mr.  Weisert  was  in  18(37  married  to  Miss  Eliz- 
abeth Gerard,  of  New  Orleans,  La.,  who  de- 
parted this  life  Feb.  2(5,  1901.  They  had  ten 
children,  of  whom  seven  are  living. 

E.  A.  Baecher,  J.  P. 

Engelbert  A.  Baecher  was  born  in  Bavaria, 
June  22,  1845,  and  educated  at  the  seminary  of 
Eichstaedt,  a  government  school,  a  certificate 
of  graduation  from  which  entitled  the  holder  to 
a  position  in  the  government  service  for  life. 


Being  graduated  at  the  age  of  18  years,  he  en- 
tered the  government  service,  but  after  one  and 
a  half  years'  service  decided  to  come  to  Amer- 
ica. Reaching  our  hospitable  shores  in  1865, 
he  decided  to  take  a  course  of  instruction  in  one 


of  our  schools,  and  accordingly  entered  St.  Vin- 
cent's College,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  passed 
the  first  year's  work  and  was  graduated  in 
18(37.  He  taught  three  years  in  the  schools  of 
York,  Pa.,  coming  thence  to  Louisville,  Ky., 
where  he  was  principal  of  the  Third  Ward 
school  for  six  years.  From  Louisville  Mr. 
Baecher  came  to  Vinc-ennes  and  was  for  five 
years  principal  of  the  German  Catholic  schools. 
Was  then  for  one  season  superintendent  for  the 
Western  Mining  Co.  In  1881  Professor  Baecher 
erected  the  brick  store  at  the  corner  of  Sixth 
and  Main  Streets,  adding  'the  remainder  of 
Baecher  Block  in  1895. 

Prof.  Boecher  was  editor  and  proprietor  of  the 
Vincennes  Post,  published  in  both  English  and 
German,  from  1892  to  1898. 

Feb.  10,  1899,  Prof.  Boecher  was  appointed 
justice  of  the  peace,  an  office  which  he  h%s  con- 
tinued to  fill  most  satisfactorily  to  the  present 
time.  He  has  made  a  record  which  has  never 
been  equaled  in  the  county  and  probably  not  In 
the  state.  Of  more  than  1,300  cases  heard  and 
decided  in  his  court,  the  squire  has  the  satis- 
faction of  knowing  there  have  been  biit  sixteen 
appeals  from  his  decisions  and  of  the  cases  ap- 
pealed, not  one  has  been  reversed  in  the  higher 
courts. 

In  the  midst  of  a  very  busy  life  Squire 
Baecher  has  found  time  to  cultivate  a  musical 
talent  far  above  the  average.  He  has  produced 
more  than  200  musical  compositions,  both  vocal 
and  instrumental,  of  a  high  order  of  merit. 

Mr.  Baecher  was  married  at  York,  Pa.,  to 
Miss  Mary  E.  Pheffer,  on  the  14th  day  of 
August,  1871,  and  they  celebrated  their  thirtieth 
anniversary  (or  as  the  squire  jocosely  says,  "the 
thirty  years'  war")  in  August,  1901.  They  have 
four  sons  and  two  daughters. 


COUNTY  OFFICERS. 
Louis  C.  Summit,  Sheriff. 

Louis  C.  Summit,  sheriff  of  Knox  County,  was 
born  in  this  county  Sept.  19,  1801.  Educated  in 
the  schools  of  the  county,  he  remained  on 
the  farm  on  which  he  was  born  and 
reared,  having  bought  the  interests  of 
the  other  heirs  after  his  father's  death,  con- 
ducting the  business  till  the  year  1898.  when  ho 
bought  the  Green  livery  stable  on  Broadway, 
between)  First  and  Second  Streets,  and  re- 
moved to  the  city.  This  he  conducted  till  1000. 


152 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


The  campaign  for  the  Democratic  nomination 
for  the  shrievalty  in  the  spring  of  1900  was 
hotly  contested,  there  being  no  less  than  six 
candidates  in  the  field. 
Mr.  Summit  was  nom- 
inated by  a  good  plural- 
ity and  was  duly  elect- 
ed to  the  office  in  No- 
vember following.  He 
has  always  been  a 
stanch  Democrat  of  the 
Jacksonian  type.  So 
ardent  is  his  admira- 
tion of  "Old  Hickory" 
that  his  first  son  was 
named  for  the  doughty 
old  hero. 

Mr.  Summit  was  married  Nov.  16,  1887,  to 
Miss  Mattie  Traylor,  of  Petersburg.  They  have 
two  children. 

James  F.  Lewis,  County  Clerk. 

James  F.  Lewis  was  born  in  Pauquier  Coun- 
ty, Virginia,  July  29,  1853.  When  he  was  12 
years  of  age  he  took  up 
his  residence  with  a  sis- 
ter in  St.  Louis  and  re- 
ceived the  principal 
part  of  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  that  city. 
After  leaving  sc'hool 
Mr.  Lewis  learned  tele- 
graphy, which  he  fol- 
lowed, for  fifteen  years, 
largely  on  the  L.,  E.  & 
St.  L.  Railroad,  of 
which  he  became  cash- 
ier and  paymaster.  This  position  he  resigned 
in  1882  and  became  book-keeper  for  Joseph 
Pollock,  of  the  Broadway  Mills,  in  Vincennes. 
After  Mr.  Pollock's  death,  Mr.  Lewis  succeeded 
to  a  partnership  in  the  business,  the  firm  being 
composed  of  Dawsou  Blackmore.  of  Cincinnati; 
Thomas  Borrowman.  of  Vincennes:  J.  C.  Me 
Kinzie,  of  Montgomery,  Ala.,  and  Mr.  Lewis, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Blackmore  &  Co.  In 
18!)2  Mr.  Lewis  retired  from  the  mill,  but  con- 
tinued to  deal  in1  grain  till  in  February,  1899, 
when  he  entered  upon  the  duties  of  the  office 
of  clerk  of  Knox  County,  to  which  he  had  been 
elected  in  November.  1898.  Mr.  Lewis  was 
married.  Feb.  3,  1873,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Pol- 
lock, of  Vincennes.  They  have  one  son,  Harry 


II.  Lewis,  of  the  firm  of  Daily  &  Lewis,  attor- 
neys. 

James  D.  Williams,  Auditor. 

James  D.  Williams  was  born  on  a  farm  in 
Harrison  Township,  Kn>ox  County,  Aug.  25, 
1863.  After  leaving  the 
public  schools  he  at- 
tended Purdue  Univer- 
sity for  several  years, 
taking  a  special  course. 
He  engaged  :n  farming, 
which  he  has  continued 
to  the  present  time, 
though,  of  course,  since 
his  election  to  office,  he 
has  resided  in  the  citf. 
Mr.  Williams  is  a 
breeder  of  short-horn 

cattle  and  Poland  China  hogs  and  has  s,qme  of 
the  highest  prize  winners  in  the  United  States. 
Mr.  Williams  has  always  been  a  staa^i-and 
consistent  Democrat.  He  is  a  grand  sqn  of 
Hon.  James  D.  Williams,  who  was  governor  of 
the  state,  1877-1891,  dying  just  before  /the,  ex- 
piration of  his  term  of  office. 

Mr.  Williams  was  married  in  September,  ^885, 
to  Miss  Martha  A.  Nicholson,  of  Steen  Bpwn- 
ship,  Kuox  County.  They  have  five  sons  and 
one  daughter. 

Charles  A.  Weisert,  Treasurer.; 

• 

Charles  A.  Weisert  was  born  in  Vincennes  on 
the  seventh  day  of  January,  1860.  He  was 
educated  in  the  city 
schools  of  Vincenues 
and  was  graduated 
from  the  St.  Louis  Uni- 
versity in  June,  1878. 
He  was  first  employed 
as  book-keeper  for  his 
father,  Mr.  C.  A.  Weis- 
ert, wholesale  grocer 
and  pork  packer.  After 
the  death  of  the  latter, 
in  1880,  lie  became  time- 
keeper for  constructors 

of  Toledo,  Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis,,  and  later 
for  the  Chicago,  Springfield  &  St.  Louis  Rail- 
road. Subsequently  for  ten  months  he  was  en- 
gaged on  the  coast  and  geodetic  siii'vey,  in  the 
employ  of  the  united  States' .  government. 
The  appropriation  for  this  work  having  been 
exhausted  and  the  work  ceasing.  Mr.  Weisert 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


153 


turned  his  attention  to  the  business  of  expert 
book-keeper  and  accountant.  In  November, 
1891,  he  was  appointed  deputy  auditor  of  Knox 
County,  under  C.  H.  DeBolt,  which  position  he 
held  for  four  years.  During  the  year  1896  Mr. 
Weisert  was  clerk  of  the  Democratic  State  Cen- 
tral Committee,  to  the  duties  of  which  position 
he  devoted  almost  his  entire  time.  On  the 
election  of  W.  H.  Vollmer  to  the  treasurership, 
in  1896,  Mr.  Weisert  was  made  deputy  treas- 
urer of  Knox  County,  wliich  position  he  held 
until  he  succeeded  to  the  office  of  treasurer,  to 
which  he  was  chosen  at  tke  election  of  1900. 

Mr.  SVeisert  was  married,  Oct.  17,  1893,  to 
Miss  Julia  O'Daniel,  of  Owensboro,  Ky.  They 
have  one  son. 

Dr.  Henry  W.  Held,  Coroner. 

Dr.  Henry  W.  Held,  coroner  of  Knox  County, 
was  bora  in  Vincennes,  July  30,  .1870.     He  was 
educated  in  the  schools 
of  the  city  and  attended 
Ohio  Medical  College,  of 
Cincinnati,  from  which 
he    was    graduated    in 
1894,    entering    on    the 
practice    in    Vincennes 
soon    thereafter.        Dr. 
Held  is  a  Democrat  in 
politics  and  was  elected 
coroner   on   the   Demo- 
cratic ticket  in  1898  and 
re-elected  in  1900. 
Dr.  Held  was  married  in  June,  1895,  to  Miss 
Amelia  Buschiflg,  of  Vincennes.    They  have  one 
daughter. 

Peter  Phillippe,  Superintendent  Schools. 

Peter  Pbillippe,  county  superintendent  of 
schools,  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Bicknell, 
Knox  County,  March  6, 
1863.  Was  principally 
educated  In  the  schools 
of  Bickn'ell.  Became  a 
teacher  in  the  schools 
of  Knox  County,  and 
followed  that  occupa- 
tion for  a  period  of 
eight  years.  He  was 
elected  superintendent 
of  schools  in  June,  1891, 
and  re-elected  in  1899, 
having  held  over  in 
1895  and  '07.  bv  failure  of  the  board  to  elect. 


Mr.  Phillippe  is  a  thorough  and  accomplished 
educator  and  has  devoted  his  time  and  talents 
to  the  schools  of  the  county,  to  their  great  ad- 
vantage. 

Mr.  Philippe  was  married,  May  15,  1897,  to 
Miss  Lettie  A.  Heuring.  They  have  tive 
children. 

John  M.  Stork,  Assessor. 

John  M .  Stork  was  born  in  Knoz  County,  near 
Petersburg,  Sept  12,  1863.  He  attended  school 
in  Petersburg,  and  also  attended  the  Central 
Normal  School  at  Dan- 
ville. He  became  a 
teacher  in  the  schools 
of  Knox  County  and 
was  so  engaged  for  six 
years.  In  1896,  Mr. 
Stork  was  elected  as- 
sessor, and  came  to  the 
city  the  following 
spring  to  enter  upon 
the  discharge  of  his  of- 
ficial duties.  In  June, 
1898,  Mr.  Stork  bought 
the  interest  of  Robert  Mayfield  in  the  abstract 
business  of  Pennington  and  Mayfield,  and  has 
since  been  actively  connected  therewith. 

Mr.  Stork  was  married,  Se^t.  13,  1893,  to  Miss 
Anna  Garner,  of  Keensburg,  111.  They  have 
three  children. 

Frank  P.  Emison,  Recorder. 

Frank  P.  Em\son  was  born<  May  20,  1864,  and 
reared  on  a  farm  in  Palmyra  Township,  Knox 
County,   Ind.,   and  was 
educated  in  the  schools 
of  that  township  and  at 
Vincennes      University. 
On  leaving  school.  Mr. 
Emison  returned  to  the 
farm,    wliere    he    con- 
tinued to  reside     until 
after  his  election  to  the 
office     of     recorder     of 
deeds,    in    1898.       Mr. 
Emison      has      always 
been  a  consistent  advo- 
cate of  the  doctrines  of  Democracy  and  a  work- 
er in  the  councils  of  the  party,  and  as  a  reward 
for   his   services   was.    as    already     intimated, 
elected  to  the  office  of  recorder  of  Knox  Coun- 
tv  in  1898.  an  office  whose  duties  he  has  dls- 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


charged  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  his  consti- 
tuents of  all  parties. 

Mr.  Emisou  was,  in  1894,  married  to  Miss 
Mattie  Root,  of  Vincennes,  but  a  happy  life  of 
four  years  was  rudely  broken  wfren'  death 
claimed  Mrs.  Emison  on  the  28th  day  of  May, 
1898. 

John  E.  Rogers,  Surveyor. 

John  E.  Rogers,  surveyor  of  Knox  County, 
was  born  in  Rush  County,  Ind.,  April  27,  1860. 
When  he  was  eight  years  of  age  his  parents  re- 
moved to  Edwardsport, 
where  he  attended  the 
public  schools.  He  also 
attended  the  high 
school  of  Washington, 
Ind.  He  subsequently 
attended  the  Normal 
School  at  Danville,  Ind., 
taking  a  thorough  teach- 
er's course.  Mr.  Rog- 
ers became  a  teacher  in 
the  schools  of  the 
county,  teaching  six- 
teen terms.  In  1895  he  embarked  in  the  cloth- 
ing business,  which  he  continued  till  elected 
surveyor  in  1898.  In  his  early  youth  Mr.  Rog- 
ers had  a  fondness  for  mathematics  and  took 
up  the  study  of  surveying  when  14  years  of 
age,  devoting  more  or  less  time  to  it  during  the 
years  spent  in  the  school  room. 

Mr.  Rogers  was  married  in  1893  to  Miss  Lula 
Hill,  of  Lawrence  County,  Illinois.  They  have 
two  children. 

W.  H.  Pennington,  County  Attorney. 

William  H.  Pennington  was  born  in  Palmyra 
Township,  Knox  County,  Ind.,  June  18,  1855. 
He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Vincennes 
and  in  the  State  Normal  School  at  Terre  Haute. 
He  taught  school  for  ten  years  in  Knox  County, 
devoting  his  leisure  time  to  reading  law  un- 
der direction  of  Cobb  &  Cobb.  He  was  elected 
county  superintendent  of  schools  in  1883,  and 
served  four  years  in  that  capacity.  In  1887 
Mr.  Pennington  embarked  with  E.  B.  Milam  in 
a  book  and  stationery  business,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Milam  &  Pennington.  This  he  dis- 
posed of  at  the  end  of  two  years,  and  in  "1892 
entered  on  the1  practice  of  law,  which  he  has 
continued  to  the  present  time,  combining  with 
it  an  abstract  business,  which  has  reached  large 
proportions.  Mr.  Pennington  has  always  been 


a  Democrat,  and  since  1890  has  been  chairman 
of  the  County  Central  Committee  of  his  party. 
He  has  served  as  county  attorney  since  1897. 
Mr.  Penuingtpn  was  married  Aug.  21,  1880,  to 
Miss  Annie  C.  Shively,  of  Edwardsport,  Ind. 
They  have  three  children. 

Frederick  Samonial,  President  Board  of 
Commissioners. 

Fred  Samoniel  was  bom  in  Floyd  Co.,  Ind.r 
Dec.  31,  1839.  When  Fred  was  seven  yeirs  or 
of  age  his  father  re- 
moved '  to  Louisville, 
where  he  grew  to  man- 
hood and  where  he  was 
educated.  He  learned 
the  trade  of  harness 
maker  which  he  follow- 
ed for  some  years.  In 
the  fall  of  1858  he  re- 
moved with  his  father 
to  Mt.  Carmel,  ill., 
where  his  father  estab- 
lished a  tannery.  Fred 

didn't  take  kindly  to  the  tannery  amd  accord- 
ingly followed  various  occupations  for  some 
years,  including  stage  driving  for  more  than 
a  year.  Subsequently  he  spent  some  time  in 
Evansville,  ooming  to  Vincennes  in  1863.  His 
first  employment  here  was  as  a  teamster, 
which  occupation  he  followed  for  about  a 
year.  He  then  for  about  the  same  length  of 
time  drove  cattle  for  a  firm  of  government 
beef  contractors.  He  was"  then  employed  as 
driver  for1  the  Adams  Express  Co.  for  a  year 
and  by  the  American  Express  Co.  for  about 
the  same  time.  In  1870  he  became  superin- 
tendent of  teams  for  Frank  Fay,  who  did  a 
general  transfer  business.  This  position  he 
held  for  five  years.  In  1876  he  established 
himself  in  the  transfer  business  in  which  he 
has  since  been  engaged.  In  1882  he  was  elect- 
ed trustee  of  Vincennes  township  and  ^e-elect- 
ed  in  1884,  serving  till  1887.  In  that  year  he 
embarked  in  the  coal  business  in  which  hy  is 
still  engaged.  In  1894  he  was  elected  county 
commissioner  and  has  served  continuously 
since  that  time.  Mr.  Samoniel  has  always  been 
a  consistent  Democrat.  He  is  a.  member  of  the 
Catholic  Church. 

Mr.  Samoniel  was,  on  February  13,  1873,  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Bridget  Quinn.  They  have  four 
children. 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND  STORY 


155 


Henry  Frederick,  Commissioner. 

Henry  Frederick  was  born  Oct.  2,  1837,  in 
Washington  township,  Knox  County,  Indiana, 
where  he  attended  the  public  schools.  He  re- 
mained under  the  parental  root'  until  twenty- 
three  years  of  age,  when  he  bought  land  n«ar 
his  father's  farm  and  embarked  in  business  for 
himself.  On  this  farm  he  continued  to  reside 
until  1895,  when  he  returned  to  Bruceville, 
where  he  now  resides.  Mr.  Frederick  was  a 
successful  farmer  and  succeeded  in  providing 
a  comfortable  competency  for  his  declining 
years.  He  was  elected  County  Commissioner 
in  1898  and  re-elected  in  1900.  He  had  pre- 
viously served  as  trustee  of  Washington  town- 
ship. 

Mr.  Frederick  was  married,  in  1861,  to  Miss 
Mary  E.  Hollingsworth,  who  died  in  1894.  He 
has  two  children. 

John  W.  McGowen.  Commissioner. 

John  W.  McGowen  was  born  in  Gibson  Coun- 
ty, Ind.,  December  10,  1849.  His  father  became 
a  citizen  of  Knox  County  and  young  John  at- 
tended the  public  schools  of  this  county.  His 
parents  both  dying  when  he  was  quite  small, 
he  was  reared  an  orphan  among  strangers. 
But  John  had  in  him  the  metal  that  makes  a 
way  for  its  possessor,  and,  notwithstanding 
the  difficulties  under  which  he  labored  he  was 
able  in  1877  to  buy  a  farm  in  Johnson  Town- 
ship, on  which  he  has  since  resided,  making  a 
comfortable  living.  In  1890  he  was  elected 
trustee  of  Johnson  Township  and  held  that  of- 
fice for  five  years.  He  was  elected  County 
Commissioner  iai  1898.  He  has  always  been  a 
Democrat  in  politics. 

Mr.  McGowen  was  married  in  1877  to  Miss 
Ella  G.  Berdlow.  They  have  four  children. 


NEWSPAPERS,    PRINTERS    AND    PUB- 
LISHERS. 

Daily  and  Weekly  Commercial. 

The  Vinceimes  Weekly  -  Commercial  was 
established  in  1878  by  S.  F.  Horrall  &  Sons, 
formerly  of  Washington,  Irid.,  who  moved  here 
and  established  a  republican  newspaper.  The 
Commercial  was  quite  a  success  from  the  start, 
and  in  1880  the  Horralla  established  the  Daily 
Commercial. 


This  paper  had  an  active  career  during  the 
presidential  campaign  in  1880.  In  1881  the 
entire  plant  was  sold  to  the  Commercial  Print- 
ing Co.,  a  stock  company  organized  of  the  lead- 
ing republicans  of  Knox  County,  and  the 
Messrs.  Horrall  retired  from  the  field. 

The  new  company  took  charge  in  February, 
1881,  and  continued  the  publication  of  the  Com- 
mercial until  April,  1882,  when  the  plant  was 
sold  to  Thomas  H.  Adams,  the  present  proprie- 
tor, who  has  been  sole  owner  and  publisher 
ever  since. 

The  Commercial  is  issued  in  three  editions, 
Daily,  Weekly  and  Sunday.  Shortly  after  Mr. 
Adams  as'sumed  control,  the  ;Sunday  edition 
was  started  and  has  been  in  successful  opera- 
tion since. 

The  Commercial  is  recognized  by  the  frater- 
nity everywhere  as  one  of  the  most  successful 
county  seat  newspapers  in  Indiana.  It  has  a 
good,  substantial  circulation,  and  is  the  Repub- 
lican organ  of  Knox  County. 

There  have  been  republican  newspapers  pub- 
lished in  Vincennes  at  various  times  for  over 
a  half  a  century.  During  the  war  the  repub- 
lican organ  was  the  Vincennes  Daily  Gazette. 
This  paper  was  published  for  a  great  many 
years  until  Jts  proprietors  sold  it  to  those  who 
changed  its  name  and  afterwards  published  it 
as  an  independent  newspaper. 

In  the  70s  the  republicans  were  without  an 
organ  for  several  years,  until  the  establishing 
of  the  Vincennes  Commercial  in  1880  by  Mr. 
Horrall.  Since  that  time  the  republicans  have 
had  in  the  Commercial  an  active,  energetic  and 
aggressive  organ. 

Thomas  H.  Adams. 

Thomas  Henry  Adams,  publisher  and  pro- 
prietor of  the  Vincennes  Daily  and  Weekly 
Commercial  and  post- 
master of  Vincennes, 
was  born  at  the  little 
town  of  Grand  Rapids, 
on  the  Auglaize  River, 
in  Paulding  County, 
Ohio,  July  19,  1860.  His 
father,  Rev.  Josiah  Ad- 
ams, was  of  English 
birth  and  was  in  the 
forties  married  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Wykes,  of 
Norttiamptonshire,Eng- 
land,  soon  afterwards  coming  to  America. 


156 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AJSD   STORY 


Rev.  Adams  became  a  member  of  the  Northern 
Ohio  M.  E.  Conference  and  was  engaged  in  the 
ministerial  work  in  the  bounds  of  this  confer- 
•eiice  at  the  date  of  his  death,  in  1865. 

Thomas  H..  on  account  of  the  limited  re- 
sources of  tiie  family,  was  early  compelled  to 
leave  school  and  seek  employment  to  assist  }n 
the  support  of  his  widowed  mother.  He  en- 
tered a  printing  office,  where  a  natural  aptitude 
.and  that  energy  and  pluck  which  have  charac- 
terized him  in  later  life  and  enabled  him  to 
-triumph  over  difficulties  that  would  have  con- 
quered a  less  resolute  spirit,  came  to  his  assist- 
.ance  and  he  advanced  rapidly  in  his  calling. 
At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  published  a  small 
weekly  paper  at  the  town  of  Edwardsport,  in 
Knox  County  Ind.  Later  he  became  editor  and 
publisher  of  the  Lancaster  Free  Press  and  Re- 
publican, at  Lancaster,  Ohio.  Here  he  met 
with  reasonable  success  and,  in  1882,  purchased 
the  Vincennes  Daily  and  Weekly  Commercial, 
becoming  a  resident  of  the  city.  Though  its 
field  in  the  beginning  was  a  liimted  one  and  its 
.struggle  for  an  existence  in  a  democratic 
stronghold  was  a  hard  one,  he  was  equal  to  the 
occasion,  and  now  has  one  of  the  best  news- 
paper properties  in  the  state. 

In  addition  to  his  newspaper,  Mr.  Adams  is 
largely  interested  in  a  number  of  other  busi- 
ness enterprises  of.  considerable  magnitude,  in- 
cluding a  popular  proprietary  medicine  line.  He 
has  for  a  number  of  years  been  a  member  of 
the  board  of  trustees  of  Vincenrnes  University 
.and  is  a  trustee  of  the  First  M.  E.  Church  of 
the  city;  was  during  the  year  1901-2  president 
of  the  Pastime  Club,  the  leading  club  of  the 
•city. 

Though  always  active  in  politics  and  a  lead- 
ing member  of  the  local  committees,  and  at 
different  times  of  the  state  committees,  he  has 
never  been  a  seeker  after  political  preferment, 
and  has  never  held  any  public  office  until  ap- 
pointed postmaster  by  President  McKinley,  in 
1897.  He  was  in  1901  reappointed  and  con- 
tinues to  hold  that  office.  He  was  chairman  of 
the  Republican  Congressional  Committee  of 
the  Second  District  in  1888  and  1890.  He  was 
also  a  member  of  the  advisory  board  of  -the  Re- 
publican State  Committee  in  1898  and  1900. 

Mr.  Adams  was,  in  October,  1879,  married  to 
Miss  Irene,  daughter  of  J.  Thornton  Willis,  of 
Knox  County.  They  have  one  son,  Chester 
TV.,  who  will  this  year  be  graduated  from  Cul- 


ver Military  Academy,  and  one  daughter,  Miss 
Dola. 

Daily  and  Weekly  Sun. 

The  Western  Sun  proudly  dates  its  origin 
back'  to  the  early  days  of  the  19th  century, 
when,  in  1804,  Elihu  Stout,  a  young  man  of 
energy  and  capability,  transported  an  outfit  on 
pack  mules  from  Frankfort,  Ky.,  and  on  July 
4,  of  that  year,  issued  his  first  edition  of  the 
"Indiana  Gazette."  Mr.  Stout  in  1807  lost  his 
plant  by  fire  and  the  paper  was  for  a  short  time 
suspended,  but,  a  new  plant  'having  been  pro- 
cured,, it  again  appeared  on  the  fourth  of  July, 
1807,  as  the  "Western  Sum"  Mr.  Stout's  con- 
nection with  the  paper  continued,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  one  year,  until  1845,  when  it  was 
sold  to  John  R.  Jones,  Mr.  Jones  and  his 
brother  William  continued  the  publication  till 
1849,  wnen  it  was  for  a  time  suspended.  It 
was  resuscitated  under  the  name  of  "Jones' 
Vinceunes  Sentinel."  It  soon  afterward  be- 
came the  "Indiana  Patriot,  in  the  hands  of 
James  J.  Mayes.  Later  it  again  changed  own- 
ers and  became  the  "Vincennes  Courant."  In 
1856  the  plant  was-  purchased  by  George  E. 
Greene,  a  practical  newspaper  man,  who  re- 
vived the  original  name  and  soon  placejd  it  on 
a  paying  basis  and  continued  its  publication 
till  his  deatb,  in  1870.(  In  that  year,  by  admin- 
istrator's sale,  the  paper  became  the  property 
of  Gen.  R.  C.  Kise,  who,  with  Dr.  Andrew  J. 
Thomas,  continued  its  publication  till  tihe  death 
of  Gen.  Kise,  in  1873,  when  it  passed  into  the 
hands  of  Dr.  Alfred  Paton,  by  whom,  three 
years  later,  it  was  sold  to  Royal  E.  Purcell, 
who  has  since  owned  and  conducted  it  with 
marked  success.  The  Daily  Edition  of  the  Sun 
was  established  by  Mr.  Purcell  in  1879.  The 
Western  Sun-  is  a  seven-column,  eight-page 
paper  and  the  daily  a  seven-column,  four-page 
paper.  It  occupies  a  three-story  brick  building 
at  119  Main  Street,  owned  by  the  proprietor. 

Royal  E.  Purcell.    . 

Royal  E.  Purcell  was  born  in  Knox  County, 
Ind.,  July  26,  1849,  both  parents  likewise  being 
natives  of  this  county,  his  grand-parents  having 
immigrated  from  Virginia.  After  leaving  the 
public  schools  Mr.  Purcell  taught  in  the  schools 
of  the  county  for  a  time  and  afterwards  attend- 
ed Hanover  College,  from  which  school  he  was 
graduated  in  the  year  1874.  taking  the  degree 
B.  Sc.,  receiving  the  degree  of  A.  M.  in  1883. 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND  STORY 


He  studied  law  for  a  time,  but  his  purchase 
of  the  Western  Sun  in  1876  led  him  into  the 
journalistic  profession,  so  that  he  has  since  de- 
voted his  entire  time  to  that  line  of  work  and 
with  eminent  success.  Publishing  a  leading 
organ  of  his  party  (Democratic),  Mr.  Purcell 
has  of  necessity  been'  high  in  its  councils  and 
was  in  1898  elected  to  the  state  senate.  In  the 
senate  he  was  an  untiring  worker  and  was 
largely  instrumental  in  securing  tne  passage  of 


a  number  of  bills,  among  them  the  bill  to  re- 
imburse the  Vincennes  University  for  funds 
diverted  from  it  to  state  uses.  The  bill  was, 
however,  subsequently  vetoed  by  Governor 
Mount,  was  again  introduced  at  the  session  of 
1900  and  passed  the  Senate  but  failed  in  the 
House. 

Mr.  Purcell  was  a  member  of  the  City  Board 
of  Education,  1891-3,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  of  Vincennes  University, 
also  of  Hanover  College.  He  was  in  1883  a 
member  of  the  World's  Fair  Board  for  Indiana. 
He  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee of  the  National  Editorial  Association, 
and  president  of  the  Indiana  Editorial  Asso- 
ciation in  1899.  He  was  postmaster  at  Vin- 
cennes in  1893-97. 

Mr.  Purcell  has  been  twice  married:  first  to 
Miss  Mary  Pidgeon,  of  the  cuy,  who  died  in 
1880.  In  December,  1886,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Georgie  Wise,  of  the  city.  They  have 
five  children. 


W.  B.  Purcell. 

William  B.  Purcell,  son  of  William  and 
Sophia  (Beckes)  Purcell,  was  born  in  Knox 
County.  He  attended, 
the  common  schools 
during  winter  and 
worked  on  the  farm 
during  summer  months. 
Later  he  taught  school. 
He  was  married  to- 
Miss  Mary  D.  McCord, 
of  Vincennes,  in  Au- 
gust, 1874.  He  located 
on  a  farm  and  con- 
tinued with  marked 
success  in  this  business 

till  1886,  when  he  moved  to  Vincennes  to  ac- 
cept the  business  management  of  the  Vincennes 
"Sun,"  a  position  he  still  retains.  Mrs.  Purcell 
died  July  24,  189 1.  Mr.  Purcell's  family  con- 
sists of  four  daughters,  Misses  Mabel,  Robert- 
ine,  Delia  anld  Mary.  Two  children  died  in 
infancy. 

Aside  from  his  duties  in  the  management  of 
a  newspaper,  Mr.  Purcell  is  extensively  en- 
gaged in  farming,  owns  a  large  area  of  fine 
farming  land  in  the  vicinity  of  this  city  and 
drives  out  weekly  to  look  after  his  landed  in- 
terests, all  of  which  he  manages  in  a  practical 
and  profitable  way. 

Daily  and  Weekly  Capital. 

The  Vincennes  Weekly  "Capital"  was  estab- 
lished by  George  M.  Cook  in  the  spring  of  1899, 
its  first  edition  bearing  date  February  24,  and 
was  issued  from  207  Main  Street.  Early  in 
the  following  year  Mr.  Cook  formed  a  stock 
company  with  an  authorized  capital  of  ten 
thousand  dollars  and  interesting  a  number  of 
prominent  citizens  of  the  county,  began  the 
publication  of  the  Daily  "Capital,"  an  evening 
paper,  of  which  the  first  edition  was  issued  on 
the  26th  of  February,  1900.  The  capital  had 
much  to  contend  with  m  making  Its  way  into 
the  esteem  of  the  people  of  Vincetfnes,  but  the 
manager,  Mr.  Cook,  succeeded  in  placing  his 
paper  on  n.  sure  fixating,  where  it  is  a  recog- 
nized force  in  the  business  affairs  of  the  city 
and  countj.  On  the  fifth  of  March  the  Capital 
became  the  property  of  a  company  composed 
of  Perry  D.  Green,  Frank  W.  Curtis  and  John 
R.  Du  Kate,  who  have  been  connected  with  it 
in  editorial  and  reportorical  capacities,  Mr. 
Curtis  since  its  inception. 


158 


VIXCEXXES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


Perry  D.  Green. 

Perry  D.  Green  was  born  in  Vincennes,  Ind., 
Aug.  2,  1876,  and  was  educated .  in  the  Vin- 
cennes University.  Inl  1894  he-removed  to  In- 
dianapolis and  in  1895  accepted  a  position  in 
the  clerical  department  of  the  Western  Union 


Telegraph  Company.  In  this  department  he 
held  several  positions.  Mr.  Green  resigned 
July  G,  1901,  and  two  days  later  associated  him- 
self with  the  Vincennes  Capital.  He  is  a  son 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  L.  Green- and  belongs  to 
a  family  that  is  well'  known  throughout  the 
southern  part  of  the  state. 


THE  NEWSGATHERERS 

The  names  of  the  r.ewsfratherel*8  al>ovp,  reading  from  left  to  right,  be.irinning  at  top  of  cut.  are  as  fol- 
lows: A.  B.  Brouilette,  Commercial;  J.  R.  DuKate.  Percy  D.  Green,  Capital;  Joseph  I.  Mdentzer,  Sun; 
Frank  W.  Curtis,  Capital;  George  IMelj  Democrat;  L.  V.  Tucker,  Sun;  R.  F.  Weenis,  Commercial. 

Within  a  few  weeks  after  the  above  cut  was  made  radical  changes  in  the  relations  of  a  number  of  the 
young  men  to  their  papers  have  occurred.  Messrs.  Curtis,  Green  and  DuKate  ha\'e  become  proprietors 
of  the  Capital,  and  Messrs.  Weems.  Tucker  and  Piel  have  severed  their  connection  with  their  'papers.  Mr. 
\Veems  had  beeu  19  years  with  the  Commercial,  and  Mr.  Tucker  a  number  of  years  with  the  Sun. 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


159 


Frank  W.  Curtis. 

Frank  W.  Curtis  was  born  Sept.  8,  1868,  at 
Albion,  111.,  and  after  graduation  from  High 
School  served  apprenticeship  in'  the  Albion 
Journal  office;  later  was  employed  as  foreman 
on  the  Alt  Veruon  Register,  and  for  one  year 
managed  the  publication  of  the  News  at 
Lawrenceville,  111.  He  became  a  resident  of 
Vincennes  in  1899.  and  has  served  as  city  edi- 
tor of  Daily  Capital  since  its  first  number.  In 
1898  was  married  to  Miss  Flora  Andrus,  a  tal- 
ented musician  and  teacher,  of  Mt.  Carmel. 
Airs.  Curtis  has  been  teacher  in  the  free  public 
kindergarten  ever  since  its  establishment  in 
Vincennes. 

Air.  and  Airs.  Curtis  are  active  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  and  because  of  their 
musical  talent  are  prominent  in  the  club  and 
social  circles  of  the  city. 

John  Ralph  DuKate. 

John  Ralph  Du  Kate  was  born  in  Wheatland, 
Ind.,  March  24,  1881,  and  is  a  son  of  Dr.  John 
B.  Du  Kato,  a  prominent  physician,  who  re- 
moved to  Vtacennes  in  1895,  and  lias  since  re- 
sided here.  Ralph  attended  the  public  schools 
here,  including  the  high  school,  and  subsequent- 
ly the  university.  In  October,  1900,  he  took  a 
position  as  reporter  on  the  Daily  Capital  and 
has  been  connected  therewith  shice  that  date. 

The  Knox  Co.  Democrat. 

The  Knox  County  Democrat,  Weekly,  was 
established  in  1893.  It  is  Democratic  in  poli- 
tics. The  publishers  are  Alessrs.  Gerard  and 
Quigle.  It  has  a  good  circulation  throughout 
the  county. 

The  National  Era. 

The  National  Era.  the  Populist  organ  of 
Southern  Indiana,  is  published  by  A.  L.  Harbi- 
son, who  has  for  a  number  of  years  )>een  promi- 
nent in  Populist  circles.  It  was  established  in 
1890.  It  has  been  an.  able  and  industrious  ex- 
ponent of  the  doctrines  of  that  party. 

A.  V.  Crotts. 

Alfred  V.  Crotts  was  born  in  Jackson  Coun- 
ty, Ind.,  and  educated  in  the  schools  of  Vin- 
cennes, to  which  city  his  father  removed.  Mr. 
Crotts  learned  the  printer's  trade  with  the 
Western  Sun  when  conducted  by  Mr.  George  E. 
Greene,  continuing  his  connection  there  for  ten 
years.  In  1879  Air.  Crotts  bought  the  plant  of 
the  old  Vincenn'es  Times  and  established  a  job 


business,  which  he  has  continued  to  the  pres- 
ent time,  building  up  a  fine  patronage  in  this 
and  adjoining  counties.  Being  himself  a 
thorough  master  of  the  printer's  art  and  a 
thorough  business  man,  he  has  been-  able  to 
meet  the  demands  of  his  custom  in  a  way  that 
has  resulted  in  a  constant  and  healthy  growth. 
He  now  has  one  of  the  most  complete  and 
thoroughly  equipped  job  offices  in  Southern  In- 
diana. Keeping  abreast  of  the  times  ini  all 
that  pertains  to  the  business,  including  styles 
and  type  faces,  he  is  never  at  a  loss  to  meet  the 
requirements  of  a  patron.  He  has  a  large 
battery  of  jobbers  run  by  power  and  all  other 
needed  machinery,  and  is  always  ready  to  meet 
any  competition. 

H.  B.  Hitt. 

Harvey  Brace  Hitt  was  born  and  reared  in 
Vinceunes  and  educated  in  its  schools.  His 
first  experience  in  a 
business  way  was  as  a 
carrier  on  the  Vin- 
cennes Daily  Commer- 
cial, a  morning  paper, 
and  the  stuff  of  which 
he  is  made  is  exempli- 
fied in  the  fact  that,  be- 
ginning this  not  over 
pleasant  work  at  the 
age  of  nine  years,  he 
continued  it  for  a  peri- 
od of  nine  years.  Being 
possesed  of  a  mechanical  genius  and  a  desire 
to  earn  money  for  himself,  he,  in  1892,  when 
but  a  small  boy,  organized  the  "Hitt  Printing 
Company,"  interesting  in  the  venture  some  of 
his  juvenile  friends  and  using  a  room  in  his 
father's  residence  as  an  office.  Working  be- 
tween school  hours  under  Harvey's  supervi- 
sion, and  by  dint  of  industry  at  solicitation  as 
well  as  in  doing  the  work,  they  built  up  a  trade 
that  brought  them  not  a  little  income.  In  1901, 
having  added  to  the  business  that  of  the  manu- 
facture of  rubber  stamps,  the  company  rented 
office  room  in  the  Bishop  Block  under  the  name 
of  The  Hitt  Printing  and  Rubber  Stamp  Co. 
The  business  flourished  to  such  an  extent  that 
they  were  compelled  to  seek  enlarged  quarters 
and  they  are  at  present  occupying  large  and 
commodious  rooms  above  the  postoffice,  at  Sec- 
ond and  Busseron  Streets.  Radical  changes 
having  been  made  in  the  firm.  Mr.  Hitt  is  now 
in  full  control  and  management  of  the  busi- 


160 


YINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


ness.  Mr.  Hitt's  success  is  an  example  of 
what  may  be  accomplished  by  pluck  and  perse- 
verence,  coupled  with  a  head  for  business. 


PHYSICIANS. 


DR.  KNAPP'S  SANITARIUM 

Especially  equipped  for  treating  diseases  of  Eye,  Ear,  Nose  and 

Throat.    Twenty  beds,  modern  operating  and  office  rooms, 

Turkish  and  Electric  Baths,  Massage  Treatment. 

Corner  Fourth  and  Broadway. 

Dr.  L.  M.  Beckes. 

Dr.  Lyman  M.  Beckes  was  born  on  a  Knox 
County  farm,  Jxily  26,  1862.  He  attended  the 
district  school  during 
the  winter  and  worked 
for  his  father  on  the 
farm  during  the  sum- 
mer, until  eighteen 
years  of  age.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1880,  he  enter- 
ed the  Vincennes  high 
school,  taking  the  latin 
course.  From  this  school 
he  was  graduated  June 
15,  1883,  with  a  high 
record  of  scholarship  on 

account  thereof  being  valedictorian  of  his  class. 
The  next  day  after  graduation  young  Beckes 
accepted  a  position  on  the  staff  of  the  Daily 
Sun.  This  he  filled  acceptably  during  the  sum- 
mer mouths,  but  having  a  well-formed  purpose, 
in  the  following  October  he  entered  Chicago 
Medical  College  and  begin  the  study  of  medi- 
cine. At  the  cloue  of  his  first  term  here  he  be- 
came a  student  under  Dr.  W.  B.  Fletcher,  of 
Indianapolis.  This  resulted  in  his  matricula- 
tion at  the  Indiana  Medical  College,  of  which 
his  preceptor  was  a  leading  professor.  From 
this  school  he  was  graduated  in  March,  1887, 


and  was  chosen  president  of  the  Sydenham  So- 
ciety of  the  Indiana  Medical  College.  In  his 
struggles  to  this  date  Dr.  Beckes  had  master- 
ed all  difficulties  and  had  twice  been  honored, 
as  valedictorian',  jut  now  began  the  real  strug- 
gle, the  battle  of  life.  The  result  is  so  well 
known  it  is  unnecessary  here  to  say  more  than 
that  the  doctor's  victories  and  triumphs  did  not 
end  with  his  school  life. 

1'n  1896,  at  a  time  when  the  doctor  was  over- 
whelmed by  an  extensive  practice,  he  cast  it 
aside  and  went  east,  devoting  another  year  to 
study  and  research  for  the  latest  and  most  ad- 
vanced ideas  and  practice  as  taught  by  emi- 
nent physicians  in  the  hospitals  and  polyclinic 
of  New  York  City.  Before  returning  home, 
accompanied  by  Mrs.  Beckes  he  crossed  the 
Atlantic  and  made  a  tour  of  England,  Scotland, 
France  and  Belgium. 

On  his  return  home  he  resumed  his  practice 
and  the  demand  for  his  professional  services 
has  "been  all  that  he  could  desire,  leaving  him 
small  leisure  for  the  amenities  of  life. 

Dr.  Beckes  is  eminently  practical  and  observ- 
ing in  his  practice.  During  the  past  ten  years 
he  has  devoted  much  time  and  energy  to  the 
perfecting  of  a  remedy  to  be  used  by  local  ap- 
plication. He  recognized  this  as  of  great  im- 
port and  believed  it  would  be  possible  to  per- 
fect local  medication  to  a  degree  that  would 
result  in  great  good.  That  he  has  met  with 
abundant  success  many  of  our  citizens  can  te<- 
tify.  Without  entering  into  details,  suffice  it 
to  say  that  he  has  perfected  a  local  remedy 
(Zenol),  which  is  as  near  a  specific  for  inflam- 
mation as  has  ever  been  found  for  any  disease. 
Unlike  many  discoveries  in  the  field  of  medi- 
cine the  doctor  declined  to  reap  a  special  per- 
sonal benefit  in  a  financial  way  by  throwing 
about  his  discovery  the  protection  of  the  pa- 
tent office  and  gave  the  profession  its  full  bene- 
fit by  making  public  the  formula. 

Dr.  Beckes  has  been  several  times  honored 
by  the  appointing  power.  He  was  secretary  of 
the  City  Board  of  Health  for  two  years,  exam- 
ining surgeon  on  the  pension  board,  a  position 
which  he  resigned  before  going  east  in  1896, 
and  county  health  official,  a  trust  which  he  still 
holds.  He  also  held  the  office  of  coroner  for 
four  years.  He  has  foeero  for  many  years  and 
is  now  medical  examiner  for  many  of  the  lead- 
ing life  insurance  companies.  As  an  evidence 
of  the  esteem  in  which  Dr.  Beckes  is  held 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND  STORY 


161 


abroad  as  well  as  at  home,  we  mention  the  fact, 
generally  known,  that  within  the  past  year  he 
has  been  offered  several  positions  of  trust  and 
emolument,  one  of  which  was  a  high  official 
position,  carrying  with  it  a  salary  of  $6,000  per 
annum.  None  of  these,  however,  offered  any 
temptation  to  the  doctor,  even  temporarily  to 
divorce  himself  in  any  degree  from  his  pro- 
fession, to  which  he  is  as  loyal  and  devoted  as 
to  the  good  woman  he  chose  for  the  sharer  of  his 
life's  joys  and  sorrows,  when,  May  25,  1891,  he 
plighted  his  troth  to  Miss  Helen  L.  Staub,  of 
Terre  Haute,  Indiana.  As  in  all  other  under- 
takings Dr.  Beckes  had  succeeded,  so  in  the 
matter  of  choosing  his  life  partner  he  made  no 
mistake.  Brilliant,  beautiful  and  womanly,  she 
is  an  artist  of  acknowledged  talent,  and  settled 
as  they  are  in  the  beautiful  home  shown  else- 
where, it  need  not  be  said  they  are  happy,  pro- 
gressive and  successful.  Two  beautiful  chil- 
dren have  blessed  this  union.  The  first,  Irving 
Wadsworth,  died  in  infancy,  but  Marlin  Lyman, 
born  April  6,  1899,  serves  to  complete  the  hap- 
piness of  this  well  ordered  home,  which  is  the 
culmination  of  a  zealous  and  honorable  strug- 
gle for  some  of  the  good  things  of  life. 

Dr.  H.  M.  Smith. 

Dr.  Hubbard  M.  Smith  was  born  at  Win- 
chester. Kentucky.  Sept.  6,  1820,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  schools  of  that  county.  He  left 
school  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years  and  learned 
the  saddler's  trade,  which  he  followed  for  some 
five  or  six  years  and  then  took  up  the  study  of 
medicine,  bearing  his  expenses  while  reading 
by  teaching  in  the  public  schools.  In  1844  he 
attended  the  medical  department  of  Transyl- 
vania University.  He  then  entered  upon  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  New  Liberty,  Owen 
County,  from  there  going  to  Warsaw,  Ky. 
After  some  two  or  three 
years  he  entered  Star- 
ling Medical  College,  at 
Columbus.  Ohio,"  from 
which  place  he  was 
graduated  with  honors 
In  1849.  Immediately 
after  leaving  this  school 
Dr.  Smith  came  to  Vin- 
cennes  and  entered 
upon  the  practice  and 
has  since  been  actively 
engaged  here. 


Dr.   Smith    was    married,   in   1846,    to    Miss 
Nannie  W.,  daughter  of  Gen.  Edmund  Pendle- 
ton,  of  Clark  County,  Ky.     Mrs.  Smith  died  in 
1895.      Five    children    survive.      Two    of    Dr. 
Smith's  sons  have  attained  distinction  in  the 
diplomatic   service  of  the  United   States   gov- 
ernment   The  doctor's  eldest  son,  Edmund  VV. 
P.  Smith,  died  while  in  the  service   as    consel 
general,  at  Bogota,  Columbia,  South  America, 
and  acting  minister  to  that  country.     Another 
son,  Hubbard  T.,  after  having  served  as  clerk 
in  both  the  war  and  treasury  departments,  was 
appointed  to  a  clerical  position  with  the  Beh- 
ring   Sea   commission;   was   subsequently   vice 
cotinsul  at  Paris,  Prance,  and  later  at  Constan- 
tinople.    In  1898  he  was  appointed  vice  consul 
at  Kobe,  Japan.    From  here  he  was  transferred 
to  Canton,  China,  in  charge  of  the  consul's  of- 
fice.    On    the    appointment    of    Commissioner 
Rockhill  he  became  his  secretary,    a  position 
which  he  still  holds.    Dr.  Smith  was  appointed 
postmaster  of  Vincennes  by  President  Lincoln, 
in  1861,  and  continued  to  hold  the  office    till 
1869.     He  is  president  of  the  Board  of    Trus- 
tees of  Vincennes  University,  :beiug  in  point  of 
service  the  oldest  member  of  that  body.     He 
also  held  the  position  of  examining  surgeon  un- 
der the  pension  bureau  for  about  twelve  years. 
The  doctor  has  always  had  a  taste  for  literary 
pursuits,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  busy  profession- 
al career  has  found  time  to  write  much  for  pub- 
lication, a  number  of  the  more  prominent  mag- 
azines and  periodicals  having  made  demands  on 
his  talent  in  this  direction.    In  1898  he  publish- 
ed a  delightful  little  volume  of  poems,  entitled. 
"At  Midnight  and  Other  Poems."      He    is    a 
charter  member  of  the  Western  Writers'  Asso- 
ciation, whose  annual  meetings  have  been  held 
at  Winona,  Minnesota,  for  the  past  eight  years, 
having    been    held    previously    at    Indianap- 
olis.    The  conventions  of  this  society  form  a 
delightful  occasion  of  reunion  for  the  members 
and  usually  cover  a  period  of  about  five  days. 
The  doctor  is  prominently  identified  with  the 
medical  fraternities,  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.    He 
is  also  the  oldest  living  member,  in  point  of 
continuous   connection    therewith,   of   the   Ma- 
sonic lodge  of  Vincennes,    having    joined    the 
same  by  demit  from  the  Warsaw,  Ky.,  lodge 
in  1849. 


162 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


Dr.  S.  Hall. 

Dr.  Silas  Hall  was  born  in  Wood  County,  Va., 
now  West  Virginia,  July  29,  1849.  He  was  edu- 
cated at  Ohio  Univer- 
sity, Athens,  Ohio.  He 
entered  the  Physio-Med- 
ical institute,  of  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in 
1875.  Dr.  Hall  entered 
upon  the  practice  in 
Ohio,  but  after  a  short 
time  removed  to  Law- 
renceville,  Illinois, 
where  he  remained  six- 
teen years.  In  1891  he 
took  a  post-graduate  course  at  Columbus  Medi- 
cal College  at  Columbus,  Ohio.  He  removed  to 
Vincennes  in  1893,  where  he  has  since  prac- 
ticed his  profession,  his  practice  in  Vincennes 
and  vicinity  covering  a  period  of  more  than 
twenty-five  years.  Dr.  Hall  was,  in  March, 
1878,  married  to  Miss  Ella  I.  Flander.  They 
have  two  daughters  and  one  son. 

Drs.  Maxedon  &  Somes. 

The  firm  of  Maxedon  &  Somes,  Dctors 
Thomas  H.  Maxedon  and  Joseph  F.  Somes, 
physicians  and  burgeons,  was  formed  in  Jan- 
uary, 1900,  for  the  general  practice  of  medicine 
and  surgery,  giving  special  attention  to  female, 
rectal  and  chronic  diseases;  also  diseases  of  the 
eve.  ear.  nose  and  throat.  They  have  offices  at 
No.  120  North  Fourth  Street,  fully  equipped  for 
the  treatment  of  all  diseases  in  the  line  of  their 
specialties. 

THOMAS  H.  MAXEDON. 
Thomas  H.  Maxedon  was  born    near    Paoli, 
Ind.,  Aug.  13,  1861.    Received  a  general  educa- 
tion in    Paoli  and    Or- 
leans high    schools,    af- 
ter   which    he   entered 
the     Hospital     Medical 
College,  the  medical  de- 
partment   of    the    Uni- 
versity    of     Kentucky, 
from     which     he     was 
g  r  a  d  u  at  e  d   In   June, 
1887.     After   practicing 
his     profession     for     a 
time  at  Heathsville.  111., 
he     took    a     post-grad- 


uate course  in  the  New  York  Polyclinic  in 
1891.  In  1898  Dr.  Maxedon  visited  Europe  and 
received  post-graduate  instruction  at  Vienna, 
Austria.  On  his  return  he  took  a  post-gradu- 
ate course  at  Philadelphia.  He  entered  upon 
the  practice  in  Vincennes  in  January,  1899.  The 
doctor  is  official  surgeon  to  Post  H.>  T.  P.  A. 

Dr.  Maxedon  was. married  Sept.  26,  1889,  to 
Miss  Mary  A.  Duncan,  of  Flat  Rock,  Illinois. 
They  have  two  children. 

JOSEPH  F.  SOMES. 

Joseph  F.  Somes  was  born  in  Vincennes,  De- 
cember 18,  1864,  and1  educated  in  the  schools  of 
the  city.  After  leaving 
school  Dr.  Somes  was 
for  seven  years  in  drug 
business  in  the  city.  He 
then  entered  Rush  Med- 
ical College,  of  Chicago, 
from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  February, 
1889.  He  first  located 
at  Lindsborg,  Kansas, 
where  he  remained  five 
years,  returning  to  Vin- 
cennes in  1895.  In  1900 

Dr.  Somes  took  a  post-graduate  course  at  New 
York  Post-graduate  Hospital,  in  diseases  of  'the 
eye,  ear,  hose  and  throat,  Avhich  are  his  special- 
ties. 

Dr.  Somes  was  married,  January  5,  1892,  ta 
Miss  Ray  Lamer,  of  Lindsborg,  Kansas.  They 
have  one  son. 

Dr.  William  T.  Von  Knappe. 

Dr.  Wilhelm  T.  von  Knappe  was  born  at  Co- 
lumbus, Ohio,  September  15,  1845.  His  fam- 
ily were  of  the  most  aristocratic  at  the  capitol 
of  the  Buckeye  State.  He  is  the  eldest  son>  of 
the  Hon.  Horace  S.  Knappe,  the  eminent  jour- 
nalist and  historian  wrho  was  editor  of  the  '"'Cin- 
cinnati E'nquirer"  during  the  Mexican  war,  the 
first  .editor  of  the  "Ft.  WTayne  (Ind.)  Times 
and  Sentinel,''  "Ohio  Statesman,"  author  of 
"The  History  of  the  Maumee  Valley,"  etc.,  etc. 
He  was  named  in  honor  of  Dr.  William  Trevitt, 
chief  surgeon  on  General  Taylor's  staff  during 
the  Mexican  War,  and  afterwards  auditor  of 
state.  He  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  Baron  Wil- 
helm von  Knappe,  with  the  coat  of  arms  of  the 
Red  Cross  and  the  Imperial  Eagle.  His  mother 
was  the  great  grand  daughter  of  Lord  Robert 
Mac  Gee  Mac  Brenton,  of  Scotland;  coat  of 


V1NCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


163 


anus.  lion,  thistle  and  star  in  a  garlaud.  Dr. 
Von  Knappe  was  educated  at  HejTs  Female 
Seminary,  Vermillion  Institute,  University  of 
Norm-  Dame  du  Lac,  and  University  of  Leipsic. 
He  studied  m.dk-im'  with  Drs.  Trovitt  &  Daw- 


son  of  Columbus,  O.,  and  was  graduated  at  Star- 
ling Medical  College;  attended  two  six-months 
courses  at  Chicago  Medical  College  and  was 
graduated  at  the  New  York  University.  He 
spent  a  year  in  the  hospitals  of  Dublin,  Edin- 
burgh, Berlin,  Vienna  and  Leipsic.  While  in 
Europe  he  had  the  distinguished  honor  of  be- 
ing presented  to  Queen  Victoria  and  of  attend- 
ing a  Masonic  Lodge  presided  over  by  the  heir 
apparent  to  the  English  crown. 

He  received  a  medal  for  bravery  and  skill  in 
cholera,  from  the  Royal  Legion;  was  commis- 
sioned by  Gov.  Flemming  of  Florida,  for  suc- 
cess in  the  treatment  of  yellow  fever;  also  held 
a  commission  under  Gov.  Claude  Mathews,  of 
Indiana.  He  is  an  elder  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church;  an  Ancient  Uniformed  Patriarch,  I.  O. 
O.  F.;  a  member  of  Star  Lodge,  No.  7,  K.  of  P.; 
a  member  of  die  Royal  Arcanum;  a  Past  Com- 
mander of  Knights  Templars;  a  32^  Mason; 
a  Mystic  Shriner  and  an  honorary  member  of 
the  Masonic  order  of  Pilgrim  Knights  of  Jeru- 
salem, Palestine. 

The  doctor  is  a  convert  to  the  Homeopathic 
school  of  medicine,  in  which  he  was  graduated. 

He  was  married  at  the  Church  of  the  Memo- 


rial, at  St.  Augustine,  Florida,  December  8, 
1891.  Mrs.  vou  Knappe  is  a  daughter  of  the 
.'.merkan  Revolution,  and  a  member  of  Caro- 
line Scott  Harrison  Chapter,  of  Indianapolis, 
Indiana. 

Dr.  J.  H.  Mammon,  Optician. 

James   H.    Haniinon    was    born    near     Fort 
Wayne,  Ind..  January  30,  1876.     He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  Union  City  and 
Winchester  and   in  the 
high  school  of  Seymour, 
Indiana. 

After  leaving  the  high 
school  Mr.  Harnmon 
took  a  preparatory 
course  in  medicine  un- 
der Dr.  Porter,  of  Rush 
County,  Indiana.  He 
then  attended  the 
American  College  of 
ophthalomology,  of  Chi- 
cago, from  which  he 

was  graduated.  Later  he  took  a  special 
course  under  Dr.  Runkin,  of  New  York 
City,  and  another  under  Dr.  Brown,  of 
Philadelphia.  He  also  mastered  Savage's  and 
Stevens'  courses  in  eye-muscular  work  and  Ed- 
ward Jackson's  work  on  skioscopy.  He  first 
entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession  at 
Rushville,  Rush  County,  Indiana,  going  from 
there  to  Indianapolis,  whence  he  came  to  Vin- 
cennes  on  April  8,  1901,  where  he  has  since  been 
located,  at  No.  207  Main  Street,  and  where  he 
has  established  an  enviable  reputation  as  an 
expert  and  reliable  optician  and  a  large  and 
profitable  clientele.  He  is  also  a  practical 
grinder  and  is  making  preparations  to  manu- 
facture everything  in  the  line  of  optical  goods. 

Dr.  Ha  mm  on  was  married  on  the  fourth  of 
April.  1898,  to  Miss  Alberta  M.  Steward,  of 
Shoals,  Ind.  They  have  an>  infant  daughter. 


LAWYERS, 
James  W.  Emison. 

James  W.  Emison  was  born  at  Bruceville, 
Knox  County,  Ind.,  Feb.  7.  1869.  After  leaving 
the  public  schools  he  entered  Asbury  University 
(now  De  Pauw),  of  Greencastle,  Inid.,  taking  the 
full  classical  course.  From  this  school  he  was 
graduated  in  June,  1882,  with  the  degree  A.  B. 
In  1885  he  delivered  the  master's  oration  at  the 


164 


VIXCEXXES  IX  PICTURE1  AXD  STORY 


college  commencement  and  the  enlarged  degree 
of  A.  M.  was  conferred.  Mr.  Emison  also  at- 
tended the  law  department  of  this  college  for  a 
time,  afterwards  reading  in  the  office  of  Captain 
George  G.  Reily,  the  distinguished  Vincennes 
advocate.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1889, 
and  immediately  formed  a  partnership  with 
Captain  Reily.  under  the  firm  name  of  Reily 
and  Emison.  which  partnership  continued  till 
the  death  of  Captain  Reily,  in  February,  1899, 
this  firm  long  being  recognized  as  one  of  the 
leading  law  firms  of  the  state.  In  the  early 
days  of  his  practice  Mr.  Emison  served  as  city 
attorney  and  also  as  county  attorney.  He  was 
secretary  of  the  Knox  County  Pair  Association 
for  eight  years,  1889-97. 

Mr.  Emison  is  a  Republican  in  politics 
and  has  always  been  held  in  high  esteem 
by  the  Republican  leaders  of  the  state. 
He  was  in  1884  chairman  of  the  Republican 
County  Central  Committee.  January  1,  1901, 
a  partnership  was  formed  between  Mr.  Emi- 
son and  Judge  W.  W.  Moffett,  an  able  and  dis- 
tinguished lawyer,  of  Bloomfield,  Indiana,  the 
firm  name  and  style  being  Emison  &  Moffett. 
Mr.  Emison  was  married  Xov.  27,  1890,  to  Miss 
Sada  Rabb,  i>f  Vincennes.  They  'have  four 
children. 

Judge  William  W.  Moffett. 

Win.  W.  Moffett  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Owen 
County,  Indiana,  Feb!  19,  1853.  He  attended 
the  public  schools  and 
was  graduated  from  the 
liigh  school  of  Spencer, 
Ind.,  in  1876.  Immedi- 
ately entering  the  Uni- 
versity of  Indiana,  at 
Blooniington,  he  was 
graduated  therefrom  in 
1880,  with  the  degree  of 
A.  B.  Entering  the  law 
office  of  the  distin- 
guished firm  of  Frank- 
lin &  Pickens,  of  Spen- 
cer, general  solicitors  for  the  I.  &  V.  Railroad, 
he  diligently  pursued  his  studies  under  their 
preceptorship  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
Owen  County  in  1881.  Upon  the  dissolution 
of  the  partnership  of  Franklin  &  Pickens  by 
the  appointment  of  the  former  a  member  of 
the  Supreme  Court  Commission,  in  1881, 
Mr.  Moffett  formed  a  partnership  with  the  lat- 
ter, under  the  firm  name  of  Pickens  &  Mof- 


fett. In  1883  he  removed  to  Bloomfield,  where 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  his  college  class- 
mate, Cyrus  E.  Davis,  succeeding  the  old  firm 
of  Shaw  &  Bays,  under  the  firm  name  of  Mof- 
fett &  Davis.  This  partnership  continued  with 
the  name  unchanged  till  1894,  when  Mr.  Mof- 
fett was  elected  judge  of  the  Fourteenth 
Judicial  Circuit,  composed  of  the  counties  of 
Green  and  Sullivan.  On  account  of  a  fixed 
understanding  in  the  ranks  of  the  Democracy 
in  those  counties  that  the  judgeship  should  al- 
ternate between)  the  two  counties,  Judge  Mof- 
fett declined  to  be  a  candidate  for  re-election 
and  retired  from  the  bench  at  the  close  of  his 
term,  in  Xovember,  1900.  In  January  follow- 
ing, he  entered  into  partnership  with  James  W. 
Emison,  of  Viucennes,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Emison  <fc  Moffett.  Judge  Moffett  has  always 
been  a  Democrat  and  a  leader  in  the  party 
councils.  The  judge  was  married  Oct.  27, 
1884,  to  Miss  Maggie  Gray.  They  have  two 
children. 

Judge  0.  H.  Cobb. 

Orlando  H.  Cobb  is  a  native  of  Lawrence 
County.  Ind..  where  he  was  born  Nov.  18,  1850. 
He  is  the  eldest  son  of 
Hon.  Thos.  R.  Cobb, 
who  for  ten  years  rep- 
resented this  district  in 
Congress,  but  who  was 
then  a  practicing  at- 
torney at  Bedford,  Ind. 
When  Orlando  was  six- 
teen years  of  age  the 
father,  together  with 
his  partner,  Judge  New- 
ton F.  Malott,  removed 
to  Vincennes,  where  he 

resided  to  he  time  of  his  death.  After  leaving 
the  public  schools,  Orlando  entered  the  Uni- 
versity of  Indiana,  taking  the  full  scientific 
course,  and  was  graduated  therefrom  in  June, 
1872,  with  the  degree  of  B.  Sc.  He  immediately 
entered  the  law  department  and  was  the  next 
year  graduated  with  the  degree  LL.  B.  By 
excessive  application  to  his  studies  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  Mr.  Cobb  had  overtaxed  his 
strength  of  body  and  left  school  in  a  low  state 
of  health.  He  therefore  took  a  year's  vacation 
and  was  admitted  to  the  Knox  County  bar  in 
May,  1874.  Immediately  thereafter  he  became 
a  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Cobb,  Robinson  & 
Cobb,  the  other  members  being  his  father, 


VINCENNES   IX    PICTURE  AND   STORY 


165 


Hon.  Thomas  R.  Cobb  and  William  B.  Robin- 
son. This  firm  continued  until  1870,  when  Mr. 
Robinson  became  clerk  of  the  Knox  Circuit 
Court,  when  the  firm  became  Cobb  & 
Cobb  and  so  remained  till  the  death  of  the 
senior  member,  after  which  Orlando  Cobb  con- 
tinued the  practice  of  the  law  alone,  until  elect- 
ed judge  of  the  Knox  Circuit  Court,  in  Novem- 
ber, 1900,  for  a  term  of  six  years.  In  Novem- 
ber, 1874,  Mr.  Oobb  became  deputy  Prosecuting 
Attorney  under  Hon.  John  H.  O'Xeall,  then 
Prosecutor  of  this  Circuit,  whic'h  position  he 
held  for  four  years.  In  November,  1888,  Mr. 
Cobb  was  elected  Prosecuting  Attorney  of  this 
Circuit,  and  was  re-elected  in  1890,  serving 
with  distinguished  ability  for  four  years. 

Mr.  Cobb  was  married,  Nov.  11,  1874,  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Beckes,  daughter  of  Thomas  P. 
Beckes,  a  prominent  farmer  of  Knox  County, 
who  afterwards  was  elected  a  commissioner  of 
the  county. 

In  the  practice  of  his  profession  Judge  Cobb 
has  always  emjoyed  the  confidence  of  the  peo- 
ple in  an  unusual  degree  and  his  practice  has 
been  one  of  the  most  lucrative  in  this  part  of 
the  state.  As  judge  of  the  Knox  Circuit  Court 
he  is  making  an  enviable  reputation  for  judicial 
fairness  and  acumen,  .and  in  the  dispatch  of 
business  he  has  no  superior  om  the  Indiana 
bench. 

Hon.  Mason  J.  Niblack. 

Mason  J.  Niblack  was  born  and  reared  in 
He  is  a  son  of  Hon.  William  E. 
Niblack,  who  for  six- 
teen years  represented 
this  district  In  Con- 
gress and  was  on  the 
Supreme  bench  of  the 
state  for  twelve  years. 
Mr.  Niblack  was  edu- 
cated in  the  schools  of 
Vincennes  and  at  Cazi- 
novia  Seminary,  Cazi- 
novia,  New  York.  Ho 
also  attended  the  Mich- 
igan University,  for 

several  years,  and  fronl  the  law  department  of 
that  school  was  graduated  im  1882,  with  the  de- 
gree of  LL.  B.  Mr.  Niblack  entered  upon 
the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Vincennes  as 
a  partner  of  Judge  F.  W.  Viehe,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Viehe  &  Niblack.  He  was  elected  to 
the  .State  Legislature  for  Knox  County  as  a 


Democrat  in  1880  and  1888,  and  for  the  coun- 
ties of  Knox,  Gibson  and  Vanderburgh  in  1890. 
Mr.  Niblack  was  honored  with  the  speaker-ship 
of  the  House  in  1889,  and  again  in  1891  the  du- 
ties of  which  position  he  discharged  with  dis- 
tinguished ability.  In  1897  Mr.  Niblack  be- 
came Grand  Master  of  the  Masonic  Fraternity 
for  the  state  of  Indiana.  He  has  served  as  a 
member  of  the  School  Board  for  the  City  of 
Vincennes' for  five  years,  and  is  now  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Board. 

Hon.  S.  W.  Williams. 

Samuel  Wardell  Williams  was  born  at  Mount 
Carmel,  Feb.  7th,  1851.  After  leaving  the  pub- 
lic schools  he  attended 
Friendsville  Academy, 
at  Friendsville,  111.,  be- 
ing designed  for  the 
Presbyterian  ministry. 
From  this  school  he 
was  graduated  in  1867. 
Instead  of  entering  the 
ministry,  however,  Mr. 
Williams  read  law  with 
Cauthorn  &  Boyle,  of 
Vincennes  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in 

1874.  Prior  1o  this  date  Mr.  Williams  had 
served  as  Deputy  Clerk  of  Wabash  County,  111., 
for  two  years,  coming  to  Vincennes  in  1870. 
He  was  elected  Prosecuting  Attorney  of  Knox 
County,  and  served  two  years,  1878-80.  He 
was  elected,  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  member 
of  the  State  Legislature  from  Knox  Counity, 
and  served  from  1882  to  '86.  It  was  during  the 
first  term  of  President  Cleveland  that  Mr. 
Williams,  becoming  dissatisfied  with  the  course 
of  his  party  leaders,  embraced  Populism,  being 
one  of  the  originators  of  the  party.  He  has 
since  been  a  leader  in  the  state  and  nation- 
al councils  of  that  party.  He  has  been  a  dele- 
gate to  every  national  convention  of  the  party, 
was  chairman  of  the  first  state  convention  and 
of  nearly  all  the  subsequent  conventions.  Mr. 
Williams  strenuously  opposed  the  fusion  with 
Bryan  forces  in  1896.  and  at  the  St.  Louis  Pop- 
ulist convention  secured  the  reversal  of  the  or- 
der of  nomination,  by  reason  of  which  Watson 
became  the  Populist  candidate  for  the  Vice 
Presidency.  Mr.  Williams  also  seconded  Wat» 
son's  nomination.  It  was  through  Mr.  Williams' 
efforts  in  the  Legislature  that  Knox  County 
was  erected  into  a  separate  judicial  district 


YINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


He  also  introduced  and  succeeded  in  passing 
the  first  bill  by  a  legislature  to  regulate  the 
tolls  and  charges  of  corporations.  It  was 
known  as  the  Williams  Telephone  Bill.  This 
law  was  attacked  in  the  courts  by  the  corpora- 
tions, but  sustained  by  the  Supreme  Court.  He 
was  also  author  of  a  number  of  changes  in  the 
probate  practice.  He  was  four  years  chair- 
man of  the  Democratic  legislative  caucus. 

As  a  trial  lawyer  Mr.  Williams  "takes  first 
rank  and  at  the  time  of  this  writing  is  Presi- 
dent of  the  Bar  Association  of  Knox  County. 
He  has  been  engaged  ins  many  of  the  noted 
jury  trials  of  the  past  twenty-five  years  in 
Knox  and  adjoining  counties,  among  them  be* 
ing  the  Berner  murder  case,  the  Carter  case, 
the  Horrall-Swartzel  cases  and  the  Johnson 
will  case. 

He  possesses  rare  skill  in  the  preparation  of 
legal  papers,  is  a  good  jury  advocate  and  is  un- 
surpased  in  the  art  of  examining  witnesses. 
He  is  noted  for  his  fidelity  to  his  clients  and 
enjoys  a  large  practice. 

Hon.  James  S.  Pritchett. 

.James  8k.  Pritchett  was  born  in,1  Warrenton, 
Gibson  Coun^tyr  Ind.  After  leaving  the  public 
schools  he  attended  Vin- 
cennes  University  and 
Hanover  College,  of  Jef- 
ferson County,  Ind.  He 
read  law  with  Col.  W. 
A.  Jones,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  practice  of 
his  profession  in  1864. 
He  first  formed  a  part- 
nership with  Judge 
Harrison  Burns,  after- 
wards author  of  Burns' 
Index  and  Burns'  Di- 
gest. This  partnership  continued  for  eight 
years,  when  Burns  was  appointed  private  secre- 
tary to  Minister  Geo.  W.  Julian.  After  Burns' 
return,  the  partnership  was  resumed  and  con- 
tinued four  years  longer,  when  Mr.  Burns  re- 
moved to  Indianapolis. 

Mr.  Pritchett  was  City  Attorney  for  several 
years  early  in  the  fifties,  also  member  of  the. 
Council,  and  in  1857  was  chosen  Mayor  of  the 
city,  serving  one  term.  In  1896  he  was  again 
elected  member  of  the  City  Council  and  has 
served  continuously  since,  having  been  re- 
elected  in  1900.  In  the  City  Council  Mr.  Pritch- 
ett is  an  able  and  aggressive  advocate  of  what 


he  conceives  to  be  the  interests  of  the  city  and 
is  one  of  the  most  powerful  and  influential 
members  of  that  body.  In  politics  he  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat of  Democrats.  He  enjoys  a  large  and 
lucrative  law  practice. 

Mr.  Pritchett  was  married  in  June,  1888,  to 
Miss  Ella  A.  Wise,  of  Knox  County,  Indiana. 
They  have  three  children. 

Arthur  T.  Cobb. 

Arthur  Thomas  Cobb  was  born  in  Vincennes, 
Ind.,  on  the  27th  day  of  February,  1871.  After 
leaving  the  public 
schools  he  entered  the 
Vincennes  University, 
and  the  Indiana  Uni- 
v  e  r  s  i  t  y,  graduating 
from  the  law  depart- 
ment of  the  latter  in 
June,  1899,  taking  the 
degree  LL.  B..  Was  in- 
mediately  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  Monroe  Coun- 
ty. On  the  9th  of  June, 
1899,  he  was  admitted  to 
practice  before  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  state, 
and  before  the  United  States  District  Court  at 
Indianapolis. 

Mr.  Cobb  is  the  youngest  son  of  the  Hon. 
Thomas  R.  Cobb,  lawyer  and  politician.  On 
the  20th  of  September,  1900.  Arthur  T.  Cobb 
was  married  to  Miss  Catherine  R.  Collins,  of 
Covington,  Ky. 

Hon.  W.  A.  Cullop. 

William  A.  Cullop,  attorney  at  law,  senion 
member  of  the  firm  of  Cullop  &  Shaw,  was 
born  in  Knox  County, 
March  28,  1853.  He 
attended  the  public 
schools  and  Oaktown 
Seminary  and  in  1874 
entered  Hanover  Col- 
lege of  Jefferson  Coun- 
ty, Indiana.  Taking 
the  scientific  course,  he 
was  graduated  from 
this  institution  in  June, 
1878,  with  the  degree 
B.  Sc.  He  soon  after 
entered  the  law  office  of  Cobb  &  Cobb, 
where  he  spent  two  years  and  was  admitted  to 
the  practice  before  the  Knox  Circuit  Court  in 
June,  1880.  January  1,  following,  he  opened 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


167 


an  office  and  entered  upon  the  practice..  In  De- 
cember, 1881,  lie  formed  a  partnership  with 
George  W.  Shaw,  under  the  firm  name  of  Cul- 
lop  &  Shaw.  In  1884  Clarence  B.  Kessenger 
was  admitted  into  the  firm,  which  became  Cul- 
lop,  Shaw  <Jc  Kessiuger.  In  1877  Mr.  Kessinger 
went  west,  retiring  from  the  firm,  which  again 
became  Cullop  &  Shaw.  In  April.  1888,  Mr. 
Shaw  was  appointed  judge  of  the  Circuit  Court 
and  Mr.  Cullop  continued  the  practice  alone  till 
August  of  that  year,  when  Mr.  Kessinger,  re- 
turning from  the  West,  again  formed  a  part- 
nership with  Mr.  Cullop  under  'the  firm  name  of 
Cullop  &  Kessinger.  This  continued  till  July, 
1900,  when  failing  health  induced  Mr.  Kessinger 
to  retire  from  the  practice  and  Mr.  Cullop  was 
again  alone  until  the  following  December,  when 
Judge  Shaw,  retiring  from  the  bench,  again 
entered  into  partnership  with  him  under  the 
firm  name  of  Cullop  &  Shaw. 

Mr.  Cullop  was  Prosecuting  Attorney  for  the 
12th  judicial  circuit  from  1884  to  1886,  and  in 
1890  was  elected  a  member  of  the  State  Legis- 
lature. He  was  re-elected  in  1892,  and  in  the 
Legislature  of  1893  was  chairman  of  the  Ways 
and  Means  Committee  of^  the  House.  He  was 
the  Democratic  nominee  for  the  State  Senate  in 
1894,  but  went  down  with  his  party  in  the  land- 
slide of  that  year,  though  leading  the  ticket  by 
147  votes.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  Demo- 
cratic National  Convention  at  Chicago  in  1892 
and  was  the  Indiana  member  of  the  notification 
committee,  appointed  to  wait  upon  the  candi- 
dates and  give  forinal  notice,  of  their  nomina- 
tion. ±ie  was  also  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic 
National  Convention  of  1896.  He  was  the 
Democratic  nominee  for  Elector  from  this  dis- 
trict in  1900. 

Mr.  Cullop.  besides  being  one  of  the  most 
active  and  successful  members  of  the  Knox 
County  bar,  has  business  interests  of  consider- 
able magnitude.  He  is  president  of  the  Knox 
County  Coal  Company,  operating  at  Bicknell, 
Ind.,  a  director  of  the  Hartman  Manufacturing 
Co.,  agricultural  implements,  and  is  also  a  di- 
rector of  the  Yincennes  Board  of  Trade  and  En- 
terprise Stove  Works.  He  is  also  a  director  of 
and  attorney  for  the  Wabash  Mutual  Insurance 
Company,  of  the  city. 

Mr.  Cullop  was  married  in  October,  1879,  tc 
Miss  Kate,  daughter  of  Hon.  Thomas  R.  Cobbv 
of  Vincennes.  and  to  this  union  was  born  one 
daughter.  Miss  Carrie.  He  was  a  second  time 


married,  July  28,  1898,  to  Mrs.  Artie  Goodwin, 
of  Chicago,  a  lady  of  rare  accomplishments  and 
refinement  and  a  popular  leader  of  society.  Mrs. 
Cullop  is  a  royal  entertainer,  and  their  elegant 
home  is  one  of  the  most  delightful  places  where 
society  gathers. 

In  1900  Mrs.  Cullop  was  signally  honored  by. 
Governor  Mount,  who  appointed  her  as  one 
of  the  lady  commissioners  to  the  Paris  World's 
Fair.  She  has  recently  been  chosen  a  state 
delegate  to  the  convention  of  the  National  Fed- 
eration of  Women's  Clubs,  Which  meets  at  San 
Francisco  in  June,  1902. 

Dailey  &  Lewis. 

Charles  E.  Dailey  was  born  on  a  farm  near 
Olney.  111.,  Oct.  9,  1865.  He  was  educated  in 
the  schools  of  Olney,  from  the  High  School,  6f 
which  city  he  was  graduated  in  1882.  Soon 
after  leaving  school  he  entered  the  law  office 
of  Messrs.  McCauley  &  Moutray,  of  Olney.  He 
subsequently  came  to  Vincennes  and  read  law 
with  Hon.  Thomas  R.  Cobb.  Was  admitted  to 
the  bar  before  the  Supreme  Court  of  Illinois,  at 
Mt.  Vernon,  in  1889.  He  first  entered  upon  the 
practice  at  Olney,  whence,  after  four  years,  he 
went  to  Oklahoma,  in  1893,  remaining  there 
three  years.  In  1896  Mr.  Dailey  returned  to 
Vincennes  and  formed  a  partnership  with 
Henry  S.  Cauthorm  &  Son,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Cauthorn,  Dailey  &  Cauthorn.  This  part- 
nership was  dissolved  in  1900,  and  the  present 
partnership  formed  with  Harry  R.  Lewis  in 
October  of  that  year. 

Mr.  Dailey  was  married  in  1894  to  Miss  May 
Jeanette  Boyd,  of  Casey.  111.  They  have  two 
children. 

Harry  R.  Lewis,  son  of  James  F.  Lewis,  was 
born  in  Vincennes.  Attended  the  public  schools 
and  subsequently  Vincennes  University  for  sev- 
eral years.  He  also  attended  Kent  College  one 
year.  He  then  entered  the  law  department  of 
the  University  of  Minnesota,  passing  by  exam- 
ination the  first  two  years'  work  and  complet- 
ing the  three  years'  course  in  one  year,  being 
graduated  in  1899  with  the  degree  LL.  B.  In 
June  of  the  same  year  he  was  admitted  to  the 
bar.  After  spending  some  months  in  the  office 
of  Cullop  &  Kessinger,  in  the  following  October 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  Charles  E. 
Dailey.  under  the  firm  name  of  Dailey  &  Lewis. 
Mr.  Lewis  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  an  act- 
ive field  worker,  having  stumped  the  county  In 
the  interests  of  his  party  in  1900.  Mr.  Lewis 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


was  married  April  16,  1901,  to  Miss  Kathern 
Milligan,  of  Washington,  Ind. 

The  firm  of  Dailey  &  Lewis  is  a  strong  one 
and  is  rapidly  forging  to  the  front. 

Hon.  W.  B.  Robinson. 

William  B.  Robinson  was  born  in  Knox  Coun- 
ty, near  Wheatland,  Sept.  9,  1839.  He  attended 
the  public  schools  and 
later  Lebanon  Acad- 
emy, of  Lebanon,  Ind. 
After  being  for  more 
than  a  year  superin- 
tendent of  schools  for 
Knox  County,  he  en- 
tered Indiana  Law 
School,  at  Bloomington, 
in  1866,  and  was  gradu- 
ated therefrom  the  fol- 
lowing year,  with  the 
degree  LL.  B.  He  imme- 
diately entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion in  Vincennes.  His  first  business  associate 
was^Jdhn  M.  Boyle,  the  firm  name  being  Rob- 
inson ^ST  Boyle.  Mr.  Robinson's  career  as  a 
lawyer  was  an  honorable  one.  He  soon  took 
rank  as  one  of  the  strong  members  of  the  Vin- 
cennes bar.  In  1869  he  was  elected  Mayor  of 
Vincennes,  and  at  the  end  of  two  years  was  re- 
elected,  serving  two  terms  as  the  city's  chief 
magistrate.  After  his  election  he  dissolved  the 
partnership  with  Mr.  Boyle  and  devoted  al- 
most his  entire  time  to  the  duties  of  his  office, 
in  which  he  made  a  record  for  which  he  has  no 
occasion  to  blush.  Before  the  expiration  of 
his  second  term  as  Mayor,  Mr.  Robinson  formed 
a  partnership  with  Hon.  Thomas  R.  Cobb,  un- 
der the  name  of  Cobb  &  Robinson.  This  part- 
nership and  name  continued  until  in  1873  Or- 
lando H.  Cobb,  now  Judge  of  Knox  Circuit 
Court,  was  admitted  into  the  firm,  which  then 
became  Cobb,  Robinson  &  Cobb.  In  1874  Mr. 
Robinson  was  elected  Circuit  Clerk  of  Knox 
County,  entering  upon  his  duties  in  1876.  He 
was  re-elected  in  1878,  serving  two  full  terms. 
On  his  retirement  from  office  in  1884,  Mr.  Rob 
inson  decided  m  t  again  to  take  up  the  practice 
of  the  law  and  has  since  devoted  himself  to 
farming,  stock  raising  and  horticulture,  in 
which  he  has  been  eminently  successful.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
of  Vincennes  University  for  something  like 
twenty  years,  being  secretary  of  the  board  the 
greater  part  of  the  time. 


Mr.  Robinson  was  married,  June  5,  1873,  to 
Miss  Maggie  J.  La  Hue,  daughter  of  ex-Sheriff 
James  C.  La  Hue,  of  Knox  Co.  They  have 
four  sons  and  one  daughter. 

Major  Thomas  B.  Coulter. 

Thomas  B.  Coulter  was  born  in  Vincennes 
and  educated  in  the  schools  of  the  city,  having 
been  graduated  from  the  Vincennes  High 
School  in  1896.  He 
then  entered  the  Indi- 
ana Law  School  at  In- 
dianapolis, from  which 
he  was  graduated  with 
honor  in  1898,  taking 
the  degree  of  LL.  B.  In 
the  same  year  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  and 
located  in  Viucennes, 
forming  a  partnership 
with  Duncan  L.  Beckes, 
which  still  continues. 

Mr.  Coulter  joined  Co.  A,  First  Infantry,  In- 
diana National  Guard,  in  September,  1891,  and 
was  made  corporal  in  December  of  that  year, 
and  the  following  May,  sergeant.  In  January, 
1893,  he  was  elected  second  lieutenant.  In 
May,  1894,  he  was  elected  captain.  His  regi- 
ment being  called  into  the  service  of  the  United 
States  in  the  war  with  Spain,  as  the  159th  Indi- 
ana Volunteers,  Captain  Coulter  commanded 
his  company  during  the  campaign.  In  July, 
1900,  he  was  promoted  to  a  majority,  and  stiL 
holds  that  commission. 

Duncan  L  Beckes. 

Duncan  L.  Beckes  was  born  on  a  farm  seven 
miles  south  of  Vincennes.  Attended  the  public 
schools  and  was  graduated  from  the  Vincennes 
High  School  in  1896.  He 
afterwards  attended 
Butler  College,  of  In- 
dianapolis. He  entered 
Indiana  Law  School  at 
Indianapolis,  and  was 
graduated  therefrom  in 
1898,  with  the  degree 
LL.  B.  He  was  Im- 
mediately admitted  to 
the  bar  and  opened  an 
office  in  Vincennes, 
where  he  has  since 
practiced  his  profession,  having  formed  a  part- 
nership with  Major  Thomas  Coulter  in  the  fall 


VINCENN&8  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


169 


of  that  year,  under  the  firm  name  of  Coulter  & 
Beckes.  Mr.  Beckes  is  a  Democrat  in  politics 
and  a  party  worker  of  no  mean  ability. 

Hon.  Thomas  R.  Cobb. 

Hon.  Thomas  R.  Cobb,  father  of  Judge  O.  H. 
Cobb  and  Mr.  A.  T.  Cobb,  of  the  city,  was  a 
distinguished  lawyer 
and  pol'tician.  He  came 
to  Vincennes  ir\  1869, 
from  Bedford,  Indiana, 
with  his  partner,  New- 
ton F.  Malott,  after- 
wards Judge  of  the 
Knox  Circuit  Court. 
Mr.  Cobb  had  previous- 
ly served  as  commis- 
sioner of  the  Indiana 
Militia,  under  appoint- 
ment made  in  1852.  He 

served  in  the  State  Legislature  from  1858  to 
1866.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Democratic 
National  Convention  in  1876  and  was  subse- 
quently for  ten  years  member  of  Congress  from 
this  district.  He  died  in  Vincennes,  Jun>e  26, 
1892. 

Samuel  Judah. 

Samuel  Judah,  deceased,  was  born  in  the  City 
of  New  York,  in  the  year  1798.  He  was  the 
son  of  Samuel  Bernard  Judah,  a  physician  of 
that  city,  and  Catherine  Hart,  his  wife.  Mr. 
Judah's  grand-father  came  to  New  York  from 
England  about  1750,  and  became  a  large  mer- 
chant there,  and  signed  the  compact  against 
the  importation  of  British  goods,  and  was 
known  as  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  cause  of 
the  patriots  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  graduated  at 
Rutgers  College,  New  Jersey,  in  1816,  studied 
law  in  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  and  emi- 
grated to  Indiana  in  1818,  coming  in  a  wagon 
train.  He  settled  in  Vincennes  in  1818  or 
1819,  and  commenced  the  practice  of  the  law 
and  soon  gained  prominence  as  a  lawyer  an<l 
politician,  with  a  reputation  throughout  the 
state. 

He  married  in  1825,  Harriet,  the  daughter  of 
Armstrong  Brandon',  of  Corytlon,  Indiana,  who 
was  U.  S.  Postmaster.  State  Printer,  and  Editor 
of  the  Indiana  Gazette,  during  the1  time  Cory- 
don  was  the  capital  of  the  state.  The  Bran- 
dons were  of  English  ancestry  and  settled  in 
Pennsylvania  about  1680. 


Samuel  Judah  was  a  member  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, from  this  county,  in  the  sessions  of  1828- 
1836-1839  and  1840,  and  speaker  of  the  House 
in  1840. 

He  was  United  States  District  Attorney  for 
Indiana,  under  President  Jackson,  and  was 
chairman  of  the  first  state  convention  of  the 
Whig  Party,  which  resulted  in  the  reorganiza- 
tion of  that  party,  and  the  election  of  W.  H. 
Harrison  to  the  presidency. 

We  quote  the  following  from  the  sketch  of 
Mr.  Judah  in  the  Cyclopedia  of  Biography:  "As 
a  lawyer  he  was  noted  for  his  skill,  learning 
and  originality.  Amorg  his  most  celebrated 
cases  are  Knox  County  vs.  The  Ohio  &  Missis- 
sippi R.  R.  Company,  fn  the  U.  S.  Supreme 
Court,  and  the  well  known  case  of  the  Vin- 
cennes University  vs.  the  State,  thrice  in  the 
Supreme  Court  or  Indiana,  and  finally  in  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States.  Through 
his  whole  life  he  was  a  great  and  constant  stu« 
dent  and  reader.  His  racy  and  original  wit. 
and  brilliant  conversation  made  his  company 
much  sought  after.  The  Hon.  Hugh  McCol- 
lough,  in  his  'Men  and  Measures  of  Half  a  Cen- 
tury,' refers  to  him  thus:  'Samuel  Judah,  the 
best  read  man  and  one  of  the  ablest  lawyers  of 
the  state.'  He  died  in  Vincennes  in  1869." 

The  children  of  Samuel  and  Harriet  Judah, 
who  arrived  at  maturity,  are  Caroline,  wife  of 
Dr.  John  Mantle,  of  Vincennes,  and  Catherine, 
wife  of  Gen.  Laz.  Noble,  all  who  are  nowi 
deceased;  Mrs.  Alice  Clarke,  of  this  city,  widow 
of  Franklin  Clarke,  deceased;  Samuel  Brandon, 
of  Vincennes;  John  M.,  of  Indianapolis,  and 
Noble  B.,  of  Chicago,  both  well  known  and 
prominent  lawyers  of  their  respective  cities. 

A,  L.  Harbison. 

Abraham  Lincoln  Harbison  was  born  in  Parke 
County,  Indiana,  Feb.  8,  1872.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  schools  of 
Crawford  County,  111., 
whither  his  father  had 
removed  when  our  sub- 
ject was  one  year  old. 
After  teaching  school 
eighteen  months.  Mr. 
Harbison,  in  1894,  took 
the  management  of  the 
"National  Era,"  a  Pop- 
ulist organ,  established 
four  years  previously 
by  his  father,  Mr.  D.  T. 


170 


VI. \CEXXES   IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


Harbison,  in  Robinson.  111.  Mr.  Harbison  was 
for  a  short  time,  beginning  in  1892,  a  citizen  of 
Kansas,  and  it  thus  happened  that  his  first  vote 
was  cast  for  Hon.  Jerry  Simpson,  jocularly 
termed  "Socklnss."  Thus  eaily  embracing 
Populism.  Mr.  Harbison  has  b?en  an  ardent 
advocate  and  consistent  expounder  of  fts  doc- 
trines ever  since.  He  has'*t>eet«  a  delegate  to 
foul1  state  conventions  a:  id, one  nitional  conven- 
tion, that  at  Cincinnati,  in  1900.  Was  sergeaul:- 
at-arms  of  the  Populist  National  Convention  at 
St.  Louis  in  1896.  In  addition  to  his  party 
services  as  editor  of  its  organ  in  this  section, 
Mr.  Harbison  has  been  active  on  the  stump  in 
every  campaign  since  and  including  1890.  Mr. 
Harbison  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  year 
1897.  but  did  not  enter  upon  the  practice  of  law 
till  January,  1901,  when  he  opened  an  office  at 
Secondhand  Busseroii  and  has  since  given  ex- 
clusive attention  to  it. 

In  189(5.  Mr.  Harbison  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  E.  Boyd,  of  Vincennes.      They  have  one 

Jospeh  T.  Randolph. 

Joseph  Todd  Randolph  was  born  in  Knox 
County,  Indiana,  on  a  farm,  in  Johnson  Town- 
ship, March  26,  1878. 
His  father  dying  when 
he  was  but  ten  years  of 
age,  he  was  placed  with 
a  grand-father  in  Illi- 
nois, where  he  re- 
mained till  sixteen 
years  of  age,  when  he 
came  to  Vincennes  and 
attended  the  high  school 
for  three  years,  having 
a  determination  to 
make  his  way  in  the 
world.  On>  the  declaration  of  war  against 
Spain  Mr.  Randolph  enlisted  in  Company  A. 
159th  Indiana  Volunteers,  and  went  with  a 
true  soldierly  spirit  into  the  field.  After  the 
war,  returning  to  Vincennes,  he  took  up  the 
battle  of  life  where  he  had  laid  it  down  to  go 
to  the  service  of  his  country.  He  read  law 
with  Hon.  John  Wilhelm  for  about  eighteen 
months,  supporting  himself  meantime  by  work- 
ing as  motorman  for  the  Citizens'  Street  Rail- 
way Co.  He  subsequently  read  for  a  time 
with  Prosecuting  Attorney  Hoover  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  Pehuary.  1900.  He  re- 
mained in  the  office  of  Mr.  Hoover  till  October, 


1901.  when  he  established  an  independent  of- 
fice in  the  Baecher  Block.  To  Mr.  Randolph's 
indomitable  energy  and  industry  alone  is  due 
the  advancement  thus  far  attained  in  his  pro- 
fession* and  we  predict  for  him  a  successful 
future. 

John  T.  Goodman. 

John  T.  Goodman  was  born  on  a  farm  near 
Bicknell,  Knox  County,  Ind..  March  31,  1861. 
He  attended  the  Bicknell  schools  and  subse- 
quently the  Cen- 
tral Normal  Col- 
lege, of  Danville. 
Ind.,  from  which 
he  was  graduated 
in  1880.  He 
taught  school  in 
Knox  County  for 
two  years.  He 
read  law  with 
Cobb  &  Cobb  in 
the  office  now  oc- 
cupied by  himself 
over  the  postof- 
fice,  corner  Sec- 
ond and  Buseron 
Streets,  and  was 

admitted  to  the  bar  in  1882.  He  first  formed  a 
partnership  with  Edward  W.  Cooper,  which 
was  dissolved  by  the  reomval  of  the  latter  from 
the  city.  In  October,  1883,  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Cobb,  Cobb  &  Goodman.  This 
partnership  was  continued  till  October,  1886, 
since  which  time  Mr.  Goodman  has  had  no 
partnership  in  the  practice.  He  was  City  At- 
torney. 1889  to  1893.  In  1892  he  was  elected 
Prosecuting  Attorney  for  Knox  -County  and 
twice  re-elected,  serving  six  years.  Mr.  Good- 
man has  always  been  uncompromising  in  his 
democracy.  He  was  for  ten  years  chairman  of 
the  Democratic  City  Central  Committee.  He 
is  a  lawyer  of  recognized  ability.  As  a  speaker 
he  has  a  pleasing  and  forcible  address,  which 
gives  him  great  power  with  the  jury.  He  has 
a  large  criminal  practice. 

Mr.  Goodman  was  married  in  1883  to  Miss 
Mary  E.  Fuller,  of  Bickuell.  a  daughter  of 
George  W.  Fuller,  who  founded  the  town  of 
Bicknell.  They  have  three  children. 

Hon.  S.  B.  Judah. 

Samuel  Brandon  Judah  was  born  at  the  fam- 
ily homestead,  upon  the  farm,  near  Vinceunes, 
upon  Dec.  26th,  1845.  His  father  was  Samuel 


VINOENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


171 


Judah,  a  well  known  lawyer  and  politician  of 
the  early  days  of  Indiana,  and  Lis  mother  was 
Harriet  Judah.  daughter  of  Armstrong  Bran- 
don, of  Corydou.  Ind.,  both  mentioned  in  a  fore- 
going article. 

Samuel  B.  Judah  passed  his  boyhood  and 
youth  upon  the  farm;  He  attended  the  Vin- 
cennes  University  for  several  years,  under  the 
instruction  of  Kev.  R.  M.  Chapman,  a  noted 
teacher:  He  took  a  one-year  course,  at  the 
Rennslaer  Institute.  Troy,  New  York,  and  then 
entered  the  Polytechnic  College  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, Philadelphia,  where  he  was  graduated 
in  18G5.  Shortly  afterwards  he  was  appointed 
a  deputy  under  his  brother-in-law,  the  late  Gen. 
Laz.  Noble,  clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  In- 
diana, which  situation  he  held  for  two  years. 
His  next  employment  was  as  assistant  assessor 
of  internal  revenue  of  the  First  District  of  In- 
diana, first  under  J.  G.  Bowman,  now  deceased, 
and  afterwards  under  James  H.  McNeely,  of 
the  Evansville"  Journal,  both  who  were  as- 
sessors, and  where  he  remained  for  about  two 
years. 

la  1871  the  subject  of  this  article  married 
Miss  Emily  C.  Burnet,  daughter  of  llev. 
Stephen  Burnet,  of  this  county,  now  deceased. 
The  fruit  of  their  marriage  were  two  sons, 
Samuel,  now  deceased,  and  Charles  B.  Judah,  a 
member  of  the  law  firm  of  Calverley  &  Judah, 
of  this  city.  From  1875,  and  until  the  present 
time,  Mr.  Judah  has  had  his  residence  upon 
Burnet  Heights,  near  Vincennes,  and  for  more 
than  twenty  years  followed  the  business  of 
farming  and  stock  raising.  He  has  also  for 
many  years  been  employed  in  the  management 
as  agent,  administrator,  executor  and  trustee 
of  valuable  and  extensive  estates,  both  real  and 
personal,  to  all  of  which  duties  he  has  attended 
honestly  and  successfully,  and  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  the  parties  interested. 

In  the  fall  of  1898  it  became  necessary  to 
have  a  branch  office  opened  at  Vincennes  for 
the  collection  of  internal  revenue.  Mr.  Judali 
was  appointed  as  deputy  collector  in  charge  of 
the  office  at  this  place  by  the  Hon.  David  W. 
Henry,  collector  of  internal  revenue  for  this 
district,  and  up  to  the  present  time  he  has  col- 
lected and  paid  over  to  the  proper  authorities 
over  eight  millions  of  dollars. 

His  motto  is  "A  public  office  is  a  public  trust, 
and  to  perform  the  duties  faithfully  and  consci- 
entiously." 


Orestes  C.  Phillips. 

Orestes  C.  Phillips  was  born  at  Millsboro, 
Pa..  Nov.  14,  1875.  He  was  graduated  from 
the  Pennsylvania  State 
Normal  school  at  Cali- 
fornia. Pa.,  in  18'J7. 
Studied  Latin  and 
(Jivek  for  a  considera- 
ble time  under  the  di- 
rection of  Prof.  Krehu- 
tield.  He  entered  the 
Tennesse  college  of 
law,  near  Nashville,  in 
1898,  and  was  graduat- 
ed therefrom  in  19L>0 
with  degree  LL.  B.  In 

the  same  year  Mr.  Phillips  came  to  Vincemies, 
where  he  entered  on  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession with  every  promise  of  marked  success. 
In  a  recent  edition,  in  its  report  of  a  damage 
suit  in  the  Knox  Circuit  Court,  the  Daily  Com- 
mercial, of  Vincennes,  said: 

"The  speech  of  C.  C.  Phillips,  principal  at- 
torney for  the  plaintiff,  was  pronounced  one 
of  the  most  eloquent  that  has  ever  been  heard 
at  this  bar.  As  a  pleasing  and  forcible  ora- 
tor, Mr.  Phillips  certainly  has  few  superiors  of 
his  age  in  the  state." 

Mr.  Phillips  was  married  September  20,  1901, 
to  Miss  Emily  Fairhurst,  of  Vincennee. 

C.  G.  McCord. 

Chas.  G.  McCord  was  born  in  the  City  of 
Vincennes  on  the  21st  day  of  March,  1851,  and 
is  the  son  of  William 
R.  McCord,  Deceased. 
He  obtained  his  early 
education  at  Vincannes 
University  and  entered 
Brown  University,  of 
Providence,  Rhode  Isl- 
and, in  September, 
1870.  He  was  graduat- 
ed from  this  institution 
In  June,  1873.  Upon 
his  return  home  he  en- 
tered the  law  office  of 
Hen.  F.  W.  Viehe,  now  deceased.  In  October, 
1877.  lie  formed  a  partnership  with  Col.  C.  M. 
Allen,  for  the  practice  of  the  law,  remaining 
with  him  for  two  years,  when  he  opened  an  of- 
fice of  his  own.  Having  become  especially  in- 
terested in  that  branch  of  the  law  pertaining  to 


172 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


titles  to  real  estate,  he,  in  December,  1881, 
opened  his  present  abstract  of  title  office,  in  the 
Noble  block,  opposite  the  court  house  and  has 
since  that  time  given  special  attention  to  the 
law  of  real  property  and  the  preparation  of 
abstracts  of  title.  He  is  well  known  as  a  title 
lawyer  and  is  regarded  by  the  profession  as  an 
authority  on  all  complicated  legal  questions  re- 
lating to  titles  and  an  expert  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  abstracts  of  title.  Mr.  McCord  has  a 
well  selected  library,  especially  bearing  upon 
the  law  of  real  property  and  a  complete  set  of 
abstract  records  that  are  widely  known  as  one 
of  the  best  in  the  state.  His  ambition  has  been 
to  become  proficient  in  law  of  real  property  and 
an  expert  in  the  examination  of  titles  and  in 
this  he  has  been  eminently  successful. 

John  L.  Buckles. 

John  L.  Buckles  was  born  in  Knox  Co.,  Aug. 
23,  1854.  After  leaving  the  public  schools  he 
attended  Danville  Col- 
lege, taking  about  half 
the  course.  Read  law 
four  years  under  the 
preceptorship  of  pres- 
ent judge  of  Knox  Cir- 
cuit, Orlando  H.  Cobb, 
and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1897.  Mr. 
•Buckles  served  as 
deputy  sheriff  for  five 
years,  from  1887  to 
1892,  and  was  sheriff 

from  1892  to  1896.  Mr.  Buckles  is  also  the  ef- 
ficient secretary  and  attorney  of  the  People's 
Savings,  Loan  and  Building  Association,  or- 
ganized in  1889,  with  a  capitalization  of  $1,000,- 
000  and  in  that  capacity  has  done  much  to  for- 
ward the  interests  of  home  builders  in  Vin- 
cenines. 

In  December,  1901,  a  partnership  was  formed 
between  our  subject  and  Robert  L.  Buckles, 
under  firm  name  and  style  of  Buckles  &  Buck- 
les, i 
John  L.  Buckles  was  married,  in  1886,  to 
Miss  Mary  Etta  Yates,  of  Knox  County.  They 
have  two  children,  one  son  and  one  daughter. 

Hon.  John  Wilhelm. 

John  Wilhelm,  attorney,  is  of  German  paren- 
tage and  was  bcrn  on  a  farm  in  Wabash  Co., 


near  Mt.  Carmel,  111.,  May  10,  1854.  His  father 
dying  when  he  was  but  a  small  boy,  John  re- 
mained on  the  farm  until  he  was  twenty-three 
years  of  age,  with  the  exception  of  the  years 
1872-73.  during  which  he  was  in  business  in  Mt. 
Carmel.  At  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  took  up 
the  study  of  law,  which  he  pursued  for  four 
years  before  applying  for  admission  to  the  bar. 
He  entered  upon  the  practice  of  law  in  Vin- 
cenes,  November  18,  1878.  Mr.  Wilhelmn's 
first  appearance  before  the  people  as  a  candi- 
date for  office  was  in  1885,  when  he  was  elect- 
ed mayor  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  giving  to 
the  city  a  clean  and  able  administration  of  the 
laws.  Mr.  Wilhelm  is  a  leading  member  of  the 
bar  of  Vincennes  and  is  at  preesnt  city  coun- 
selor. 

0.  B.  Williamson. 

Oscar  B.  Williamson  was  born  at  Lancaster. 
Ohio,  May  12,  1872.  His  parents  removing  to 
Vincennes  when'  he  was 
small,  he  was  educated 
in  the  schools  of  the 
city  and  was  graduated 
from  the  High  School 
in  1889.  He  then  en- 
tered Earlham  College, 
of  Richmond,  Ind.,  tak- 
ing the  mathematical 
course.  He  was  grad- 
uated from  this  school 
in  1893,  with  the  de- 
gree Bachelor  of  Sci- 
ence. After  leaving  College  Mr.  Williamson  en- 
tered the  law  office  of  Reily  &  Emison,  in  this 
city.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in<  1894,  and 
remained  in  the  office  of  Reily  &  Emison  until 
1897,  when  he  formed  a  partnership  with  J.  S. 
Spiker  for  the  purpose  of  conducting  an  ab- 
stract office,  the  firm  name  and  style  being  J.  S. 
Spiker  &  Co.  This  partnership  continued  until 
August.  1901,  when  it  was  dissolved.  Mr. 
Williamson  has  had  quite  an  extended  experi- 
ence in  making  abstracts  of  title  and  his 
thorough  acquaintance  with  the  records  of  the 
county,  in  many  instances  abstruse  and  diffi- 
cult to  master,  makes  him  one  of  the  most  re- 
liable abstractors  of  the  city.  Accordingly  he 
finds  an  ever  increasing  demand  for  his  ser- 
vices in  this  direction.  Mr.  Williamson  makes 
a  specialty  of  the  law  of  real  property  and  is 
building  up  a  substantial  practice. 


YINCENNES   IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


173 


Henry  S.  Cauthorn. 

Henry  Sullivan  Cauthoru  was  born  in  Vin- 
cennes, Feb.  23,  1828.  Was  graduated  from 
the  ::Indiana  Asbury 
I  College."  now  De  Pauw 
University,  i  n  1849. 
Read  law  in  the  office 
of  U.  S.  District  Attor- 
ney, Benjamin  M. 
I  Thomas,  of  this  city, 
and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1853,  and  has 
I  since  practiced  his  pro- 
fession at  this  bar  with 
honor  and  success.  In 
1854  lie  was  elected  Dis- 
trict Attorney  for  the  judicial  district  of  Knox, 
Daviess,  Pike  and  Martin  Counties.  He  was 
subsequently  for  eight  years  Clerk  of  the  Cir- 
cuit Court  of  Knox  County.  In  1856  lie  was, 
on  the  organization  of  the  city  government,  the 
first  City  Attorney.  In  1870  Mr.  Cauthorn  was 
elected  representative  to  the  State  Legislature, 
and  was  re-elected  in  1872,  1878  and  1880.  In 
1879  he  was  chosen  Speaker  of  the  House,  a 
position  which  he  filled  with  credit  to  himself 
and  to  the  satisfaction  of  that  body. 

In  politics  Mr.  Cauthorn  has  always  been  a 
stanch  Democrat  and  in  religion  a  Roman 
Catholic. 

He  was  married,  in  1878,  to  Miss  Margaret 
Bayard,  of  Vincennes.  They  have  seven  chil- 
dren living,  two  sous  and  four  daughters. 

Henry  S.  Cauthorn,  Jr. 

Henry  S.  Cauthorn,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Vin- 
caun>es,  December  4,  1870.  He  was  educated  in 
the  schools  of  this  city 
and  at  Notre  Dame  Uni- 
versity, Notre  Dame, 
Ind.  After  leaving  col- 
lege, young  Cauthorn 
entered  the  law  office  of 
his  father,  Hon.  Henry 
S.  Cauthorn,  of  the  city, 
and  was  admitted  to 
the  practice  Dec.  7, 
1891.  He  immediately 
entered  upon  the  prac- 
tice in  partnership 

with  his  father,  who  is  looked  upon  as  one  of 
the  most  learned  and  skillful  members  of  the 
Knox  County  bar,  under  the  firm  name  of 


Cauthorn  &  Cauthorn.  In  1896  Mr.  Charles  E. 
Dailey  was  admitted  into  the  firm,  which  be- 
came Cauthorn,  Dailey  &  Cauthorn,  and  so  con- 
tinued till  1900,  when,  Mr.  Dailey  withdrawing, 
the  firm  again  became  Cauthorn  &  Cauthorn. 
These  firms  have  handled  much  business  of  im- 
portance and  magnitude,  including  the  settle- 
ment of  the  large  estates  of  John  B.  La  Plante 
and  Charles  Graeter,  deceased,  and  others  of 
almost  equal  dimensions.  Mr.  Cauthorn  has 
made  a  specialty  of  probate  law,  and  being  a 
young  man  of  studious  habits,  indomitable  en- 
ergy and  more  than  average  ability,  is  forging 
his  way  upward  in  the  profession.  He  is  a 
Democrat  in  politics  and  takes  an  active  part 
in  all  general  elections.  In  the  campaign  of 
1900  he  was  an  effective  stump  speaker. 

Mr.  Cauthorn  was  married,  Oct.  6,  1897,  to 
Miss  Mary  T.  Bowles,  of  the  city.  They  have 
one  child  living. 

Robert  G.  Cauthorn. 

Robert  G.  Cathorn  was  born  in  Vincennes 
and  is  a  son  of  Hon.  Henry  S.  Cauthorn.  He 
attended  Cathedral  School  until  his  education 
was  sufficient  for  his 
admission  to  Vincennes 
University,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in 
1896.  He  then  entered 
Georgetown  University, 
of  Washington,  D.  C., 
taking  the  full  classical 
course.  From  this 
school  he  was  gradu- 
ated with  honor  in  1899, 
taking  the  degree  A.  B. 
Mr.  Cauthorn  is  a  gifted 
orator  and  while  at  the  Vincennes  University 
captured  the  "Gould  Oratorical  Medal"  and 
likewise  at  Georgetown  University  carried  off 
the  "Merrick  Debating  Medal."  which  is  there 
regarded  as  the  ne  plus  ultra  of  honors  in  that 
field.-  So  highly  were  his  talents  in  this  direc- 
tion regarded  by  the  faculty  of  the  institution 
that  he  was  appointed  to  deliver  the  "bach- 
elors' oration"  at  the  commencement.  Mr. 
Cauthorn  immediately  after  graduation  entered 
the  law  department  of  Georgetown  College, 
which  he  attended  one  year,  during  which  time 
he  taught  in  the  preparatory  department  of  the 
college.  He  was  admitted  to  the  practice  in 
Vincennes,  Sept.  7,  1900.  Of  more  than  aver- 
age ability,  of  excellent  habits  and  a  studious 


174 


VIXCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


turn,  Mr.  Cauthorn  gives  promise  of  a  bright 
future.  He  was  at  a  late  meeting  of  the  Knox 
County  Bar  Association  elected  secretary  of 
that  organization. 

Wm.  S.  Hoover. 

William  S.  Hoover  was  born  in  Davis  County, 
Indiana,  Sept.  5,  1864.  He  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Knox  Coun- 
'ty,  to  which  his  parents 
removed  in  1866,  and  in 
the  Cincinnati  College 
of  Law,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1890, 
with  the  degree  LL.  B., 
and  was  soon  after- 
wards admitted  to  the 
practice  in  the  Knox 
Circuit  Court.  Mr. 
Hoover  is  a  Democrat 
iu  politics,  having  cast 
his  first  vote  for  Cleveland  in  1884,  and  is  an 
earnest  party  worker  in  all  important  cam- 
paigns, taking  an  active  part  on  th<j  stump.  In 
recognition  .of  him  abilities  and  a  reward  for 
faithful  party  services,  Mr.  Hoover*  in  1898,  re- 
ceived the  nomination  of  his  party  for  Prose- 
cuting Attorney  for  Knox  County  and  was 
elected.  So  acceptably  did  he  perform  the  du- 
ties of  the  office  that  he  was  again  nominated 
and  elected  in  1900,  being  now  in  the  midst  of 
his  second  term. 

A.  M.  McClure. 

Alvin  M.  McClure  was  born  in  Carroll  Coun- 
ty. I  ml.,  Aug.  2C).  1869,  and  in  his  early  boyhood 
moved  to  Knox  County. 
He  was  reared,  on  a 
farm  in  Busseron 
Township,  and  received 
his  education  in  the 
common  schools  and  at 
Vincennes  University. 
He  became  a  teacher  at 
the  age  of  eighteen 
year?  and  continued  to 
teach  in  the.  schools  of 
Knox  County  for  a 
period  of  seven  years. 

Taking  up  the  study  of  law,  he  spent  four  and 
one-half  years  as  a  student  with  the  well-known 
firm  of  Cullop  &  Kessinger.  He  was  admitted 


to  the  bar  in  1893  and  in  1895  opened  an  office 
for  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  320^  Main 
Street,  Vincennes,  where  he  has  proven  himself 
a  progressive  and  successful  lawyer,  and  where 
he  has  a  'strong  and  growing  clientele. 

Mr.  McClure  is  a  Republican  and  has  always 
been  a  stanch  advocate  of  the  principles  of  the 
party,  serving  four  years  as  secretary  of  the 
Republican  Central  Committee  of  his  county. 
He  was  the  Republican  nominee  for  Prosecut- 
ing Attorney  for  the  Twelfth  Judicial  Circuit  in 
the  campaign  of  1896,  and  ran  six  hundred 
ahead  of  the  national  ticket.  Mr.'  McClure  was 
ini  1898,  married  to  Miss  Nora  Bond,  of  Oak- 
town,  Ind.  They  reside  at  718  Broadway. 

H.  W.  Alexander. 

Henry  W.  Alexander  was  born  in  Greenville, 
111.,  Sept.  7,  1852.  His  ancestry  on  his  father's 
side  was  of  the  Sewell 
family  of  Maine,  and  on 
his  mother's  side  of  the 
Wilkins  family  of 
South  Carolina.  He  at- 
tended the  public 
schools  of  Greenville, 
and  was  graduated 
from  the  Greenville 
High  School:  In  1872 
he  entered  the  Universi- 
ty of  Michigan',  at  Ann 
Arbor,  where  he  took 
the  classical  course  and  was  graduated  in  1876, 
taking  the  degree  of  A.  B.  He  immediately 
entered  upon  the  study  of  law  under  the  pre- 
ceptorship  of  Judge  Phelps,  at  Greenville,  111., 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  on  examination  be- 
fore the  Appellate  Court  of  Illinois  at  Mt.  Ver- 
non,  in  1879.  In  1887  he  located  in  Vincennes, 
where  he  has  since  remained  in  the  practice  of 
his  profession,  with  which  he  has  combined  a 
general  real  estate  and  loan  business.  The 
latter  has  grown  to  such  dimensions  as  to  pretty 
well  absorb  his  attention  and  in  this  line  Mr. 
Alexander  has  made  a  reputation  as  a  prompt, 
reliable  and  successful  dealer.  In  politics  he 
has  always  been  a  Republican.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber and  was  for  many  years  clerk  of  St.  Jaroes' 
Episcopal  Church,  of  Vincennes. 

Mr.  Alexander  was  married,  Oct.  22,  1884,  to 
Miss  Flora  D.  Portmess,  of  Terrell,  Texas. 
They  have  two  daughters. 


YINX'ENNES   IN   PICTURE   AND   STOKY 


175 


MINISTERS. 
Rev.  H.  T.  Willis,  First  M.  E. 

Rev.  Tilghman  Howard  Willis,  was  born  on 
a  farm  in  Sullivan  Co.,  Ind.,  Oct.  15,  1846.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  Union 
College,  Merom,  Ind. 
He  enlisted  as  a  pri- 
vate in  Aug.  1864,  and 
served  to  the  close  of 
the  war.  He  was  li- 
censed as  a  local 
preacher  in  July  1870, 
and  entered  the  Indi- 
ana conference  in  Sept. 
1871,  having  traveled 
"White  River  Mission" 
one  year,  under  the 
presiding  elder.  He  WHS  ordained  a  deacon  in 
1873  and  an  elder  in  1875.  His  first  charge 
was  Currysyille  circuit  iii  .1871.  'Then  followed 
Washington  circuit  in  1873,.  AVheatland  circuit 
in  1876,  Bruceville,  1879;  ,Worthington,  1880. 
Since  that  date  he  has  been  stationed  as  fol- 
lows: Princeton,  1881-83;  New  Albany,  1884-89; 
Princeton,  1890;  Greencastle, '•  1891 ;  Blooming- 
ton  district,  1892-98;  Vincennes,  1899  to  the 
present  time.  The  degree  D.  D.  was  conferred 
on  Dr.  Willis  by  Moqreshill  College5  in  1898.  He 
was  a  delegate,  to  the  general  conference  at 
Cleveland.  Ohio,  in  1896,  ^find  at  'Chicago  in 
1900,  representing  Indiana  "conference,  the 
largest  conference,  in  Methodism. 

Rev.  Willis  possesses  a  pleasing  personality, 
and  is  an  eloquent  and  feeling  speaker  and  a 
diligent  and  effective  worker.  It  goes  without 
saying,  therefore,  that  he  has  a  strong  hold 
upon  the  affections  of  his.  congregation. 

Mr.  Willis  iwas  marrdedOctober  21,  1869,  to 
Miss  Sarah  E.  Johnson,  of  Carlisle,  Ind.  They 
have  six  children/ 

Rev.  H.  C.  Clippinger,  Presiding  Elder. 

Rev.  H.  C.  Clippinger,  A.  M.,  Presiding  Elder 
of  the  Vincennes  .District  of  the  Indiana  Con- 
ference of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  was 
born  at  Concord,  New  Hampshire,  Oct.  13,  1859. 
His  father  was  a  Methodist  minister.  He  is  a 
graduate  of  the  Evansville  High  School,  of  the 
class  of  1878,  and  also  of  De  Pauw  University, 
class  1882.  He  entered  the  Indiana  Conference 
in  1882,  and  has  served  New  Harmony,  Owens- 


ville,  Salem,  Rockport,  Wesley  Chapel,  New 
Albany  and  Vincennes  M.  E.  Churches  as  pas- 
tor, and  was  made  Presiding  Elder  in  1899  by 
Bishop  Goodsell.  He  was  married  to  Miss 
Hettie  L.  Blemker,  of  Evansville,  Oct.  22,  1884. 
They  have  three  children,  Foster,  Gilbert  and 
Mary.  Mr.  Clippinger  received  the  degrees  of 
A.  B.  and  A.  M.  from  De  Pauw  University.  He 


is  a  Trustee  of  Moore's  Hill  College,  and  has 
been  Grand  Chaplain  of  the  state  for  the  I. 
O.  O.  F.  and  has  represented  his  Conference  as 
visitor  to  De  Pauw  Theological  School  and  to 
Garrett  Biblical  Institute  as  Evanston,  111.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon  Col- 
lege fraternity. 

Rev.  Meinrad  Fleischman. 

Rev.  Meinrad  Fleishman,  pastor  of  the 
Church  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  was  bora  in 
Switzerland  in  1844, 
and  came-  to  this-  coun- 
try with  h\s  parents 
when  yet  a  child.  He 
was  educated  at  St. 
Meinrad's  Abbey,  in 
Spencer  County,  Ind., 
and  was  ordained  to- 
the  priesthood  June  21, 
1867.  His  first  work 
was  as  assistant  priest 
at  New  Albany,  where 
he  remained  about  eigh- 
teen months.  He  then  became  pastor  of  St. 


176 


V1NCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


Michael's  Church,  at  Brookville,  Indiana,  De- 
cember 8,  1868.  Here  he  remained  until  trans- 
ferred to  Vincennes,  in  December,  1897,  twen- 
ty-nine years. 

Rev.  W.  A.  Hunter,  First  Presbyterian. 

Rev.  William  A.  Hunter,  D.  D.,  was  born  in 
Ohio.  His  father  at  the  time  of  the  doctor's 
'birth  was  a  wholesale  grocer  in  Cincinnati,  but 
later  removed  to  Macomb,  111.,  where  he  engaged 


in  farming  and  stock  raising.  Here  Dr.  Hunter 
was  reared  and  received  his  early  education.  He 
then  entered  Hanover  College,  of  Hanover,  Ind. 
After  taking  the  classical  course  of  this  school 
he  entered  Princeton  Theological  Seminary,  of 
Princeton,  New  Jersey,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1879.  He  was  ordained  by  Schuy- 
ler  Presbytery  and  his  first  charge  was  at  War- 
saw, Illinois,  as  pastor  of  Wythe  Church. 
Thence  he  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  at  Clinton,  Illinois,  where 
he  remained  fifteen  years,  during  which  his 
church  grew  in  strength  and  general  prosperity. 
During  this  period  Dr.  Hunter  received  various 
calls  to  important  charges  elsewhere,  all  which 
were  declined  because  of  his  attachment  to  the 
Clinton  congregation,  but  in  1899,  receiving  a 
call  to  Fort  Collins,  Colo.,  and  feeling  the  neces- 
sity of  a  change  in  behalf  of  the  health  of  his 
family,  the  call  was  accepted  and  he  remained 
there  until  called  by  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Vincennes. 


Dr.  Hunter  was  a  contemporary  at  Hanover 
College  with  a  number  of  young  men  from  Vin- 
cennes, including  Hon.  Royal  E.  Purcell,  Hon. 
W.  A.  Cullop,  J.  P.  Ooan  and  J.  P.  L.  Weems. 
Here  also  he  met  and  won  the  lady  who  has 
since  been  his  helpmeet,  in  the  person  of  Miss 
Mattie  Dunn.  They  have  two  children,  a  son 
who  is  in  college  at  Colorado  Springs,  Colo., 
and  a  daughter  of  five  years. 

Dr.  Hunter  was  for  twelve  years  stated  clerk 
of  the  Bloomington  (111.)  Presbytery  and  was 
moderator  of  the  Illinois  Synod,  at  Peoria,  in 
1895.  He  wasMn  1900  moderator  of  the  Synod 
of  Colorado,  at  Denver.  He  received  the  de- 
gree of  A.  M.  from  Hanover  College  in  1886, 
and  that  of  D.  D.  from  Blackburn  University, 
of  Carlinville,  Illinois,  in  1896. 

Rev.  Louis  Gueqen,  St.  Franois  Xavier. 

Rev.  Louis  Guegen,  pastor  of  St.  Francis 
Xavier  Church,  was  born  in  Brittany.  France, 
in  the  year  1834.  He  received  his  education  in 
France  and  came  to  America  in  1859,  when 
just  ready  for  ordination  to  the  priesthood.  He 
came  direct  to  Vincennes  and  was  ordained  at 


St.  Francis  Xavier  Cathedral,  December  8, 
1859.  He  went  to  Madison,  Indiana,  where  he 
remained  till  I860.  He  was  then  stationed  at 
Washington.  Indiana,  for  a  short  time  in  the 
fall  of  1860,  going  from  there  to  St.  Marys, 
Floyd  Knobs.  Floyd  County,  where  he  remain- 
ed three  years.  He  was  then  at  New  Albany 
for  about  eight  months,  going  thence  to  Loo- 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


177 


gootee,  Martin  County,  Indiana,  where  he  re- 
mained for  more  than  twenty  years.  From 
here  he  went  to  Madison,  Indiana,  as  pastor  of 
St.  Michael's  Church  for  five  and  a  half  years. 
From  Madison  he  was  transferred  to  Vincenues 
as  rector  of  St.  Francis  Xavier's  Church,  in 
1890,  and  has  continued  in  the  pastorate  to 
the  present  time. 

Rev.  J.  B.  Miller,  Cum.  Pres. 

Rev.  John  B.  Miller,  pastor  of  the  Cumber- 
land Presbyterian  Church,  of  Vincennes,  was 
born  at  Amity,  Pa., 
January  I,  1870.  His 
education  was  begun  in 
the  public  schools  of 
Amity  and  continued  in 
Waynesburg  College,  of 
Waynesburg,  Pa., 
where  he  took  the  full 
classical  course  and 
form  which  he  was 
graduated'  in  June, 
1892,  taking  the  degree 
A.  B.,  receiving  the  ad- 
vanced degree  of  A.  M.,  two  years  later.  Im- 
mediately after  leaving  Waynesburg  College 
Mr.  Miller  entered  the  Western  Theological 
Seminary,  where  he  spent  two  years,  following 
which  he  spent  one  year  in  the  theological  de- 
partment of  Cumberland  University,  Lebanon, 
Tennessee.  He  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  in 
April,  1893.  His  first  work  was  as  pastor  of  a 
Cumberland.  Presbyterian  Church'  at  Salem 
City,  Pa.  Here  he  remained  seven  years,  re- 
signing the  work  in  March,  1900,  on  account  of 
partial  failure  of  voice,  going  to  California  to 
recuperate.  From  there  he  was  called  to  his 
present  charge,  May  5,  1901. 

Mr.  Miller  was-  married,  June  27,  1893,  to 
Miss  Annie  F.  Edwards,  of  Slate  Lick,  Pa. 

Rev.  W.  G.  Law,  Baptist. 

Rev.  W.  G.  Law,  Pastor  of  the  First  Baptist 
Church  of  Vincennes,  was  born  in  Greene  Coun- 
ty, Indiana,  Oct.  2,  1856.  He  was  reared  on  a 
farm,  but  became  a  teacher  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen years  and  followed  that  profession  for 
twelve  years.  He  was  educated  at  the  State 
University  .at  Bloomington,  Ind.,  and  at  the 
State  Normal  School  at  Terre  Haute.  He  was 
married,  Aug.  28,  1889,  to  Miss  Alpina  Rails- 
back,  of  Terre  Haute,  Ind.  To  this  union  were 


born   four   children,    of   whom   two   only   are 
living. 

After  entering  the  ministry,  Mr.  Law's  first 
pastorate  was  that  of  Petersburg,  Pike  County, 
Ind.,  where  he  remained  six  years.  He  then 
took  charge, of  the  churches  at  Freelandvillej 
Edwardsport  and  Bicknell,  making  his  home  at 
Freelandville  for  the  first  two  years,  after 
which  he  removed  to  Bicknell,  where  he  re- 
mained in  charge  of  the  same  work  one  year 
longer,  coming  to  Vincennes,  to  his  present  field 
of  labor,  Jan.  1,  1901. 

Rev.  De  Lou  Burke,  St.  James,  Epis. 

The  Rev.  De  Lou  Burke,  Rector  of  St.  James' 
Church,  and  Professor  of  Philosophy  and  Peda- 
gogy in  Vincennes  University,  was  born  at 
Crawfordsville,  Ind.,  March  24,  1858.  He  was 
educated  in  the  Central  Indiana  Normal  Col- 
lege, of  Danville,  Ind.,  graduating  in  1877.  He 
taught  until  1888,  when  he  entered  the  Nasho- 
tah  Theological  seminary  of  Nashotah,  Wis. 
From  this  school  he  was  graduated  in  1892,  and 
was  ordained  Priest  by  Bishop  Nicholson  in 
All  Saints'  Cathedral,  Milwaukee,  on  Trinity 
Sunday.  1892.  For  two  years  he  was  Rector 
of  St.  Mark's  Church,  Beaver  Dam,  Wis.  He 
then  accepted  a  call  to  St.  James'  Church, 
South  Bend.  Ind.  He  was  Rector  there  for  six 


years,  and  in  that  time  built  the  church  there, 
which  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  churchly 
edifices  in  the  state.  In  the  fall  of  1898  he  ac- 
cepted a  call  to  St.  James'  Church,  Vincennes, 


178 


VLNCENNES   IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


holding  his  first  service  on  Advent  Sunday,  that 
year. 

In  September,  1901,  he  was  elected  to  the 
chair  of  Philosophy  and  Pedagogy  in  the  Vin- 
cennes  University.  This  professorship  he  act 
cepted  and  now  teaches  in  the  University,  along 

ivith  his  duties  as  Rector  of  St.  James. 
The  Rev.  Mr.  Burke  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  an 

.nthusiastic  Mason,  Holding  the  office  of  Prelate 
in  the  commandery  and  Chaplain  in  the  Blue 
Lodge  of  this  city. 

Rev.  William  Oeschqer,  Christian. 

William  Oeschger  was  born,  Sept.  2,  1868,  in 
Philadelphia,  Penn.  When  2  years  old  his  par- 
ents removed  to  Indi- 
ana, and  eight  years 
later  to  Nebraska.  He 
received  Ms  early  edu- 
cation in  the  public- 
schools.  In  the  fall  of 
1889  he  entered  Cotner 
University,  at  Lincoln, 
Neb.  He  was  gradu 
ated  from  that  institu 
tion  with  the  degree  of 
A.  B.  in  June,  1894.  In 
July  of  the  same  year 
he  entered  the  University  of  Chicago.  He  was 


given  the  degree  of  A.  B.  from  that  institution 
in  April,  1895.  After  this  he  entered  the  Divin- 
ity School  of  the  University  of  Chicago.  ID 
1898,  after  three  years  of  work  in  that  school, 
he  was  given  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Divin- 
ity. From  Chicago  he  went  to  Fairbury,  Neb., 
to  take  charge  of  the  First  Christian  Church  of 
that  city.  In  the  spring  of  1900  he  accepted  a 
call  to  this  city. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Dema  Hopkins,  May 
17,  1899.  Rev.  Oeschger  is  a  strong  and  able 
preacher  and  as  a  pastor  has  gained  the  respect 
and  affection  of  his  flock  in  a  marked  degree 
since  his  arrival  here. 


'William  Simpson's  Pony  and  Cart 


Fourth  Street,  North  from  Vigo 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND  STORY 


179 


THE  CHURCHES. 
St.  Francis  Xavier  Cathedral. 

The  foundation  of  St.  Francis  Xavier  Cathe- 
dral dates  back  to  the  early  French  settlement 
at  Vincennes  when  the  little  log  structure  with 
its  chinking  of  grass  and  clay  served  the  pur- 
poses of  a  house  of  worship  for  the  pioneer  in- 


against  the  Chickasaw  Indians,  in  1836.  A  mar- 
riage record  bearing  date  April  21,  1749,  and 
signed  by  Father  Meurin,  a  Jesuit  missionary, 
is  the  next  preserved.  In  the  following  June 
is  a  baptismal  record  of  a  child.  These  cer- 
tificates are  also  signed  by  M.  St.  Ange,  "Lieu- 
tenant of  marines  and  commandant  for  the 
king  at  Post  Vincennes."  The  last  record 
made  by  Fr.  Meurin  was  that  of  a  burial,  un- 
der date  of  March  17,  1853.  Fr.  Meurin  was 


Presbyterian  Parsonage  and  Old  Church 

habitants.  The  first  allusion  to  the  Vincennes 
Church  in  any  preserved  writings  is  a  letter 
from  Father  Marest,  written  from  Kaskaskia 
in  1712,  in  which  he  states  that  "the  French, 
having  lately  established  a  post  on  the 
Wabash,  demanded  a  missionary  and  Father 
Mermet  was  sent  , there."  How  long  Father 
Mermet  served  the  new  church  we  are  not  in- 
formed but  it  appears  that  Fr.  Senat  was  pas- 
tor at  Vincenntes  in  1736,  having  come  here 
with  Francis  Morgan  de  Vincenne  and  per- 
ished with  'him  in  the  ill-fated  expedition 


.—Main  Street,  between  Fifth  and  Sixth 

succeeded  at  Post  Vincennes  by  Fr.  Louis 
Vivier,  1753-56.  Half  the  records  of  this  time 
are  said  to  be  of  "red  or  Indian  slaves"  be- 
longing to  the  commandant  and  the  inhabit- 
ants. Father  Julian  Du  Vernay  was  the  last 
Jesuit  missionary  at  the  post,  his  service  being 
1756-03.  The  records  were  kept  by  a  notary 
from  1763  to  '70,  from  which  it  is  inferred 
there  was  no  pastor  in  charge.  In  the  latter 
year  Fr.  Gibault  arrived,  and  was  in  charge 
for  many  years,  being  absent  at  Intervals.  He 
it  was  who  came  from  KaskaskJa  in  the  latter 


180 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


part  of  1778,  after  Col.  Clark's  capture  of  Kas- 
kaskia,  and  assembling  the  inhabitants  of  the 
post  in  the  church,  induced  them  to  take  the 
oath  of  allegiance  to  the  state  of  Virginia.  In 
May.  following  the  capture  of  the  post  by  Col. 


St.  Francis*Xavier  Cathedral,  Second  and  Church 


Clark,  Fr.  Gibault  again  took  up  his  residence 
here.  He  records  the  building  of  a  new 
church,  42x90  feet,  in  1784.  In  1789  Fr. 
Gibault  installed  Pierre  Mallet,  a  layman,  as 
guardian  of  the  church,  and  this  guardianship 
continued  until  the  arrival  of  Fr.  Flajet,  In 
1792.  Fr.  Flaget  was  succeeded  by  Fr.  Lava- 
doux,  and  he  by  Rev.  John  Francis  Rivet 
The  last  was  particularly  zealous  in  his  work 


among  the  Indians  and  records  many  mar- 
riages and  baptisms  among  them.  He  died  at 
Vincennes  in  1804,  the  first  priest  who  died 
here.  He  established  the  first  school  in  the 
old  French  village. 

The  members  of  this  congregation 
comprise  about  300  families.  It  owns 
the  church,  library  and  episcopal  resi- 
dence and  maintains  a  parochial 
school  for  boys,  having  a  large  brick 
school  house.  The  instructors  are 
Sisters  of  Providence.  The  girls  are 
also  under  the  instruction  of  the  Sis- 
ters of  Providence,  at  St.  Rose  Acad- 
emy. 

The  See  of  Vincennes  was  erected  in 
1834,  with  the  Rt.  Rev.  Simon  G.  W. 
Brute  as  first  bishop.  He  remained 
in  charge  till  his  death  in  June,  1839, 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  Rt.  Rev. 
Celestine  Rene  Lawrence  Guynemer 
de  la  Hailandiere,  who  officiated  for 
about  eight  years,  resigning  the  office 
in  1847.  John  Stephen  Bazin  became 
Bishop  of  Vincennes,  Oct.  24,  1847,  but 
dying  April  23,  1848,  was  succeeded  by 
Rt.  Rev.  James  M.  Maurice  de  Long 
d'Aussac  de  St.  Palais,  as  administra- 
tor till  January,  1849,  when  he  was 
consecrated  to  the  bishopric,  which  he 
held  until  his  death,  June  28,  1877. 
August  11,  1878,  Rt.  Rev.  Francis  Silas 
Chartard  became  Bishop  of  Vincenues, 
taking  up  his  residence  at  Indianapolis 
instead  of  Vincennes.  Bishop  Chatard 
continues  in  office,  the  name  having 
been'  changed  about  the  year  1897  to 
the  Diocese  of  Indianapolis. 

The  present  rector  is  Rev.  Louis 
Guegnen.  Rev.  Frederic  Burget,  as- 
sistant. 

The  Cathedral,  building  now  standing 
immediately  in  Line  with  Second 
Street,  at  Second  and  Church  Streets, 


is  perhaps  the  oldest  church  edifice  In  the 
state.  The  erection  of  a  new  church  was  de- 
cided upon  at  a  public  meeting  called  for  the 
purpose  by  Rev.  J.  L.  Champonier  and  Hya- 
cinth Lasselle,  July  24,  1825.  The  corner  stone 
was  laid  with  due  solemnity  by  Father  Cham- 
ponier, March  30,  1826.  The  erection  and  com- 
pletion of  the  building  occupied  several  years 
and  was  not  accomplished  until  the  year  1830. 
In  connection  with  the  cathedral  is  a  library 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE  AND  STORY 


181 


of   something   like  ten   thousand  volumes,   in- 
cluding many  rare  and  valuable  books. 


St.  James  Episcopal  Church,  Fourth  and  Busseron 


St.  James  Episcopal  Church. 

St.  James  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  was 
organized  in  Vincennes,  Oct.  7,  1837,  the  Rev. 
B.  B.  Killikelly  presiding  at  the  meeting  which 
resulted  in  the  organization.  Rev.  Killikelly 
was  the  first  rector,  or  as  the  records  say  "pas- 
tor." The  vestrymen  chosen  at  this  meeting 
were  George  Davis,  Geo.  Cruikshank,  John 
Craiksihank,  Jas.  W.  Groenhow.  Samuel 
Langston.  A.  T.  Ellis  and  Joseph  Somes. 
Of  these.  Messrs.  Davis  and  Greenhow 
were  chosen  Wardens,  Joseph  Somes, 
Treasurer.  Geo.  W.  Rathbun  was  elected  Sec- 
retary of  the  Vestry.  Ait  this  meeting  Un- 
church was  named  St.  James  and  the  Rev.  Kil 
likelly  chosen  "pastor."  A  committee  was  ap- 
pointed to  secure  the  permission  of  the  town 
authorities  to  use  the  town  hall  for  the  ser- 
vices until  a  church  could  be  provided,  "and  if 


consent  is  obtained  to  have  the  same  properly 
fitted  up  with  stoves  and  seats;  and  further 
that  they  correspond  with  Gen.  W.  H. 
Harrison  in  relation  to  a  lot  hereto- 
fore donated  by  him  to  this  church, 
asking  permission  to  sell  the  lot  and 
apply  the  proceeds  to  the  purchase  of 
a  more  eligible  location.  The  coJ.sent 
of  Gen.  Harrison  to  this  program  was 
later  obtained. 

Great  difficulties  were  experienced  in 
the  early  uays  of  the  church  in  meet- 
ing its  necessary  expenses.  The  town 
hall  was  fitted  up  at  a  cost  of  $117.25, 
and  the  church  granted  its  exclusive 
use,  the  vestrymen  having  agreed  to 
contribute  $5.00  each  on  the  first  Mon- 
day of  each  month  to  meet  the  ex- 
pense. The  financial  difficulties  un- 
der which  the  infant  church  labored 
induced  the  vestry,  at  a  meeting  held 
Feb.  20,  1840,  to  "request  anU  em- 
power" the  pastor  to  travel  and  solicit 
aid  to  erect  a  new  church,  and  $50 
was  advanced  him  to  pay  his  expenses. 
In  May.  Mr.  Killikelly  reported  that 
he  had  been  unable  to  secure  any  as- 
sistance and  refunded  the  money.  At 
a  meeting  held  Dec.  23,  a  committee 
which  had  been  appointed  to  secure  a 
building  lot  reported  in  favor  of  a 
half  lot  at  corner  Fourth  and  Busseron, 
belonging  to  the  heirs  of  Hiram  Soden, 
deceased,  which  could  be  had  for  $400, 


"$200  cash  in  hand;  balance  at  the  end  of  one 
year."  By  a  unanimous  vote  the  committee 
was  instructed  to  bay  this  lot.  Here  the 
church  was  erected.  Arrangements  were  soon 
after  made  for  the  pastor  to  make  a  trip 
through  the  Eastern  States  and  England  to 
secure  funds  and  $400  was  borrowed  for  his 
expenses.  On  this  trip  the  pastor  more  than 
redeemed  his  formed  delinquency,  raising,  ac- 
cording to  out-  computation  from  the 
records,  the  neat  sum  of  $3,527.73.  Among  the 
contributors  in  England  were  many  bishops  and 
archbishops,  lords  and  members  of  Parliament. 
The  list  was  headed  by  a  £10  subscription  by 
Queen  Adelaide,  the  dowager  queem,  aunt  of 
Queen  Victoria.  W.  E.  Gladstone  contributed 
£5.  The  present  church  was  erected  in  1843, 
but  without  the  tower,  which  was  added  in 
1868.  The  Rectory  was  erected  in  1864-G5. 


182 


VINOJflNNBS  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


Rev.  Killikelly,  on  account  of  failing  health,  re- 
linquished his  charge  in  1843,  but  after  a  year's 
rest  returned  to  it  in  1844,  resigning  it  a  sec- 
ond tine  in1  1840. 

The  present  rector.  Rev.  De  Lou  Burke,  was 
called  to  the  church  in  1898,  holding  his  first 
service  on  Advent  Sunday. 

First  M.  E.  Church. 

There  is  no  record,  by  which  the  exact  date 
of  the  organization  of  the  first  "Methodist  Soci- 
ety" in  Vineennes,  can  be  obtained;  nor  can  the 
names  of  those  composing  that  lirst  society  be 
obtained.  It  was  probably  organized  about 
1808.  In  1810.  Vineennes  was  the  head  of  a 
large  "circuit,"  extending  from  Fort  Harrison 
to  the  Ohio  River,  and  from  the  Wabash  River 
to  Orange  County. 


which  Gov.  Harrison  was  present  and  held  the 
candle  while  the  reverend  gentleman  read  the 
hymn  and  scripture  lesson.  There  is  no  record 
of  the  exact  date  of  the  building  of  the  first 
"Meeting  House"  in  Vineennes.  The  deed  for 
the  lot  on  which  stood  the  old  brick  church  that 
was  torn  down  in  1900,  and  on  which  the  par- 
sonage still  stands,  was  made  by  William 
Henry  Harrison,  to  David  S.  Bonner,  Richard 
Posey  and  Thomas  Collins,  April  18,  1828.  The 
present  beautiful  and  commodious  stone  build- 
ing was  erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $25,000,  and 
is  located  on  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  Perry 
Streets.  The  corner  stone  was  laid  by  Bishop 
Fowler,  April  IT.  IS'.tO.  The  building  was  dedi- 
cated by  Bishop  McCabe,  April  1,  1900.  Archi- 
tect, Thomas  Campbell:  Building  Committee, 
M.  A.  Bosworth.  A.  M.  Sheperd,  George  Harris. 
At  this  date,  February,  1902, 
there  is  a  membership  of  475. 
A  Sunday  school  of  300.  A 
Senior  Epworth  League  of 
103  and  a  Junior  Epworth 
League  of  50  members. 

The  church  pays  for  the 
support  of  the  ministry 
$1,725,  and  paid  last  year 
(1901)  to  missions  and  other 
benevolences  $840. 

The  next  session  of  the  In- 
diana Annual  Conference,  a 
body  composed  of  321  minis- 
ters, will  be  held  in  this 
church,  in  September,  1902. 


First  Presbyterian 
Church. 

The  First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Vineennes  was 
organized  by  Rev.  Samuel 
Robertson  in  1806,  the  first 
place  of  worship  being  a 
short  distance  in  the  country 
and  known'  as  Upper  Indiana 
Church.  Rev.  Samuel  T. 
Scott  was  the  first  pastor  and 
services  were  held  in  Vin- 
rrnnt's  at  private  houses  and 
occasionally  at  the  court 
house  at  Third  and  Buntin 
Streets.  There  were  two  or- 
Among  the  first  preaching  services  held  by  gauizations  known  as  Upper  and  Lower  Indiana 
the  Methodists  in  Vineennes,  of  which  there  is  churches,  nnd  membership  was  held  with  either 
any  record,  is  one  conducted  by  Rev.  Wians,  at  of  these  till  about  1832.  when  an  organization 


First  M.  E.  Church,  Fourth  and  Perry — Thomas  Campbell,  Architect 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


183 


was  effected  in  the  city  by  Rev.  Scott  with  a 
meinl>ership  of  thirty-one. 
Through  the  influence  of  Revs.  Alexander  and 


whose  pastorate  was  from  1833  to  1835.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Rev.  John  McNarr,  1835-36; 
Rev.  Thos.  Alexander,  1836-47;  Rev.  John  P. 


Sunday  School  Class.    Mrs. 

Hawley  a  considerable  amount  of  money  was 
raised  In  the  East  for  the  erection*  of  a  Church, 
and  a  brick  edifice,  40x60  feet,  was  built  at 
Fifth  and  Busseron  Streets.  The  first  pastor 
of  the  new  church  was  the  Rev.  W.  W.  Martin, 


New  Christian  Church,  Third  and  Broadway — From  Architect's  Drawing 


{Catherine  Morse,  M.  E.  S.  S. 

Smith,  1847-56;  Rev.  John  W.  Ely  the,  1856-58; 
Rev.  J.  F.  Jennison,  1859-60;  Rev.  Eli  B.  Smith, 
1861-2.  In  1862,  during  the  pastorate  of  Rev. 
Smith,  a  schism  arose  in  the  church  which  be- 
came so  bitter  as  to  cause  the  withdrawal  of 
eighty-seven  mem- 
bers, wlho  organized 
the  Second  Presby- 
terian Church  of 
Vincennes.  Rev.  E. 
B.  Smith  continued 
pastor  of  the  First 
Church  until  1866, 
and  was  succeeded 
by  Rev.  J.  F.  Hendy, 
wlho  was  the  pastor 
till  1872,  when  he  re- 
signed and  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  the  two 
churches  were  re- 
united under  the  pas- 
torate of  the  Rev. 
Joseph  Vance. 

After  the  division, 
in  1862,  the  Second 
church  was  under 
the  ministration  of 
Rev.  E.  S.  Wilson, 
who  was  stated  sup- 


184 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


ply  from  June,  1862,  to  1865.  During  this  time 
the  congregation  erected  the  brick  church  on 
Main,  between  Fifth  and  Sixth  Streets,  at  a 
cost  of  $9,000.  Rev.  Wilson  was  succeeded  by 
Rev.  Joseph  Vance,  wfoo  was  pastor  of  the 
Second  Church  until  1873,  and  of  the  re-united 
church  until  July  1,  of  the  following  year,  when 
he  resigned,  and  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  C. 
B.  H.  Martin,  who  served  the  church  until  De- 
cember, 1877.  Three  calls  were  made  before 
the  church  secured  a  successor  to  Rev.  Thayer 
and  it  was  Sept.  10,  1878,  wten  Rev.  E.  P. 
Whalen  was  installed.  H£  remained  in  charge 
ten  years,  and  the  church  was/then  without  a 
pastor  some  three  years,  until  the  Rev.  T.  S. 
Scott  accepted  a  call  and  became  pastor  in 
1891,  remaining  unitil  1896  when  'he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Rev.  George  Knox,  1896-1901.  Rev. 
W.  A.  Hunter,  D.  D.,  the  present  pastor,  as- 


First  Presbyterian  Church,  Fifth  < 

sumed  charge  December,  1901. 

In  1884  an  elegant  new  cihurch  was  erected  at 
Fifth  and  Busseron  Streets  at  a  cost  of  $14,000. 


and  to  this  an  addition  was  built  in  1899,  cost- 
ing about  $15,000. 

First  Baptist  Church. 

The  First  Baptist  Church  was  organized  by 
Rev.  Gillespie  in  1860.  The  present  churcfc 
buildimg  was  erected  six  years  later  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Fifth  and  Broadway.  Since  the  organi- 
zation of  this  cihurch  the  pastors  have  been 
Revs.  Gillispie,  Robinson,  Bradenbury,  Gavins, 
Stinson,  Butler,  Kerth,  Thomas,  Wolford  and 
the  present  pastor,  Rev.  W.  G.  Law.  The  pres- 
ent membership  is  about  230.  This  church  is 
in  excellent  working  condition,  every  depart- 
ment being  well  organized  and  harmonious,  and 
the  work  being  successfulfully  carried  forward. 
It  is  interesting  to  note  in  this  connection  that 
the  Rev.  Gillespie,  the  founder  of  this  church.,, 
is  still  living  at  Fort  Worth,  Texas,  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  eighty- 
five  years. 


Church  of  St. 
John  the  Baptist. 

Prior  to  the  year 
1851  the  German 
Catholics  at  Vin- 
cennes  (had  no  sep- 
arate organization 
and  worshipped  at 
the  Cathedral,  with 
occasional  services  in 
German.  In  1846, 
Rev.  Charles  Opper- 
man  had  his  resi- 
dence at  tlhe  Cathe- 
dral and  conducted 
services  in  German. 
He  was  succeeded 
by  Rev.  Conrad 
S  c  h  n  e  i  derjans  in 
1847.  Their  first 
church  was  built 
der  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  Rev. 
Nicholas  S.tauber  in 
18M,  being  a  brick 
building  40x80  feet 
ard  forming  part  of 
the  present  hand- 


id  Busseron 


some  structure  at  Eighth  and  Main  Streets. 
Rev.  Stauber  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Leonard 
Brandt,  who  had  charge  till  1856.  The  first 


VINCENNES   IN    PICTURE  AND   STORY 


185 


resident  iirh'st  and  pastor  was  William  Enjjeln. 
who  reiuaimtd  till  1853,  and  was  succeeded  by 
Jicv.  Acu'ldins  Joseph  Merz,  who  took  charge  in 


was  organized  on  the  3d  Sunday  in  June,  1833. 
It  is  not  known  by  whom  the  church  was  or- 
ganized, nor  how  many  and  who  the  charter 
members  were.  The 
only  on>*5  that  it  is 
definitely  known 
were  charter  mem- 
bers were  H.  D. 
Wheeler  and  wife, 
and  Samuel  Piety 
and  wife..  For  fifteen 
years  after  the  or- 
ganization of  the 
church,  the  society 
was  without  a  fixed 
home  of  worship. 
During  that  time  its 
services  were  held 
in  private  houses, 
town  hall,  court 
house  &c. 

On    May    5,    1846, 
the  plot  of  ground  on 


Baptist  Church,  Association  Tiim — Fifth,  betw«:€n 

1863.  In  1866,  under  direction  of  Rev.  Merz 
the  sanctuary  was  removed  and  the  church  en- 
larged in  the  form  of  a  cross.  It  is'  now  40x154 
feet  and  has  a  transept  40x80  feet.  Rev.  Merz' 
labors  resulted  in  making  this  one  of  the  finest 
church  properties  in  the  diocese.  The  first 
parochial  school  was  opened  in  1851,  private 
houses  being  utilized  in  lieu  of  a  school  build- 
ing. In  1856  a  small  school  building  was  erect- 
ed, and  this  was  siiperseded  in  1873,  under  the 
administration  of  Rev.  Merz,  by  the  present 
commodious  two-story  building.  The  school  is 
now  in  charge  of  Prof.  Nicholas  Schnell,  as- 
sisted by  three  Sisters  of  Providence,  and  has 
an  average  attendance  of  about  220.  The 
priests'  residence  was  erected  about  1855  or  '56. 
Rev.  Merz  continued  in  charge  of  this  con- 
gregation till  his  death.  March  27,  1897.  The 
present  pastor.  Rev.  Meinrad  Fleischmann, 
came  to  the  charge  on  the  10th  of  the  following 
December,  and  has  been  here  continuously 
sinice.  The  present  membership  includes  about 
350  families. 

Christian  Church. 

The  Christian  Church,  of  Vincennes,  Ind., 


which 
church 
stands 
chased 


the  present 
building 
was  pur- 
from  Judge 


Broadway  and  Buntin 

Blackford  anid  deed- 
ed to  H.  D.  Wheeler,  Alpheus  Draper  and  D.  J. 
R.  Mantle,  in  trust,  as  trustees  of  the  6hurch. 
In  the  fall  of  that  same  year  the  congregation 
began  the  erection  of  a  house  of  worship.  It 
was  dedicated  Oct.  19;  1848.  For  many  years 
the  church  was  without  a  regular  pastor.  It 
was  dependent  on  evangelists  and  lay  brothers; 
for  preaching  for  many  years.  Among  the 
first  preachers  were:  Michael  Combs,  Father 
Palmer.  Morris  Trimble.  David  Worfor,  James 
M.  Mathes,  Elijah  Goodwin,  Jdhni  O'Kane,  L. 
H.  Jameson,  P.  K.  Dibble,  O.  A.  Bartholomew, 
Prof.  Amzi,  At/water,  J.  K.  Speer,  Stephen  Bur- 
net,  Dr.  Eccles,  J.  H.  Harrison.  In  1861  the 
church  was  visited  by  Alexander  Campbell.  In 
18C5  the  church  employed  T.  T.  Holton  as  its 
pastor  for  full  time.  He  was  the  first  man  so 
employed.  In  1869  W.  H.  Tiller  was  called  to 
the  past  orate.  In  1871  T.  J.  Clark  was  called. 
He  remained  with  it  for  21  years.  He  was 
followed  bq  J.  W.  Jessup,  'he  by  G.  M.  Weimes, 
who  was  succeeded  by  the  present  pastor,  Rev. 
Wm.  Oeschger.  The  church  at  present  num- 
bers 500  members.  In  the  spring  of  1902  it  will 
build  one  of  the  finest  churches  in  the  city,  cor- 
ner Third  and  Broadway,  at  a  cost  of  $30,000. 


186 


VINCENNES  IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church. 

The  First  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Vincennes  was  organized  at  the  court  house. 
April  28,  1890,  by  Rev.  H.  Clay  Yates,  assisted 


Watson,  Mrs.  Mary  Underwood,  Elizabeth  In- 
gram, Joseph  Roseman,  Hannah  Presnell,  Jen- 
nie Hazen,  Lueinda  Sawyer,  Ella  J.  Medcalf, 
Emma  McCarrell.  The  church  building  waa 
erected  during  the  summer  of  1890.  The  church 


by  Rev.  Alonzo  Yates,  of  Monroe  City.  The 
following  are  the  charter  members:  Mrs.  Sallie 
Setzer,  Nannie  Setzer,  Alfred  Reel,  W.  H.  Wil- 
son, Lee  Milam,  Emma  Presnell.  John  S.  Saw- 
yer, Cassada  Pinkstaff,  N.  E.  Medcalf,  Wm.  A. 
Reel,  Mary  A.  Mass,  Emma  Setzer,  Lueinda 


has  had  four  pastors,  Rev.  H,  Clay  Yates,  from 
April  28,  1890,  to  April  1,  1895;  Rev.  F.  A. 
Grant,  from  July  1,  1895.  to  Jan.  1.  189(5;  Rev.  J. 
X.  McDonald,  from  March,  1897,  to  April,  1901; 
Rev.  J.  B.  Miller,  the  present  pastor,  took 
charge  May  5,  1901.  The  church  has  a  pres- 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


187 


ent  membership  of  230  and  a  Sunday  school  en- 
rollment of  237.  There  is  also  a  Ladies'  Aid 
Society,  Malonna  Circle,  Missionary  Society  and 
Senior  and  Junior  Christian  Endeavor  Societies. 

St.  John's 

Evangelical 

Church. 

St.  John's  Evangel- 
ical Church  was  or- 
ganized in  1849  by  a 
little  band  of  no 
more  than  six  fami- 
lies of  Germans  who 
had  settled  in  Viii- 
cennes  and  Who  had 
begun  to  hunger  tc 
hear  the  gospel 
preached  in  their 
mother  tongue,  when 
in  August,  1849,  a 
young  preacher, 
Rev.  P.  C.  Thomson, 
on  his  way  to  St. 
Louis  chanced,  to 
stop  over  for  a  day 
or  so  in  the  city.  The 
few  German  fami- 
lies here,  both  Lu- 
therans and  Evan 
gelical,  by  consider- 
able effort,  prevailed 
on  him  to  remain 
and  preach  to  them. 
Then*  meetings  were 
for  a  time  held  ii> 
the  town  hall.  Mr. 
Thomson  proved  an 
energetic  and  capable  man  and  though  his  in- 
come from  his  small  congregation  was  neces- 
sarily very  small,  not  over  30c  or  40c  a  day,  he 
added  somewhat  to  his  income  by  teaching 
German  and  by  "boarding  around"  among  the 
members  of  his  congregation  was  enabled  to 
live.  At  the  end  of  nine  mouths,  however,  re- 
ceiving a  call  from  Louisville,  he  was  con- 
strained to  accept  and  his  little  congregation 
paid  him  ini  full  and  released  him  with  earnest 
prayers  for  his  success  in  a  field  better  adapted 
to  his  abilities.  Rev.  Thomson  was  succeeded 
after  an  interval  of  some  months  by  the  Rev. 
Carl  Kuster.  18.">l-53.  Rev.  Kuster  being  called 
to  Terre  Haute  the  congregation  was  again  for 


some  time  without  a  pastor.  Then  came  Rev. 
Frederick  Schlundt  Who  appears  to  have  sys- 
tematized the  work  of  the  church,  prepared  a 
code  of  by-laws  and  the  firat  preserved  records 


Church  of  St.  John  The  Baptist— Eighth  and  Main 


of  the  church  were  begun  under  his  administra- 
tion. He  was  succeeded  in  December,  1855,  by 
Rev.  Cornbaum,  under  whose  administration 
the  first  church  edifice  was  erected,  at  Eighth 
and  Scott  Streets.  Soon  afterward  there  was  a 
division  in  the  church,  one  faction  adhering  to 
the  Evangelical  and  the  other  to  the  Lutheran 
faith.  Of  the  Evangelical  branch  the  first 
pastor  was  Rev.  Christopher  Jung,  1857-9.  For 
some  time  thereafter  there  was  no  regular  pas- 
tor but  the  church  was  occasionally  supplied 
by  Rev.  Hoffmeister,  of  Freelandville.  Rev. 
Frederick  Durlitz  became  pastor  in  1862,  and 
continued  in  charge  till  1804.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Rev.  C.  Hoffmeister,  1864-65;  Rev. 


188 


VlNCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


Wm.  Jung,  1865-70;  Rev.  Nicholas  Burkhart, 
1871-73;  Rev.  Paul  Werber,  1873-74;  Rev.  Albert 
Schorey,  1874-83;  Rev.  Otto  J.  Kuss,  1884-85; 
Rev.  Reller,  1886-1901;  Rev.  Henry  Mehl,  nine 
months  of  1901,  his  pastorate  'having  been  ter 
urinated  by  Ms  death.  The  pastor-elect  is  Rev. 
Louis  Holman.  Mr.  and  Mrs  John  Hamm,  of 
1204  North  First  Street,  are  probably  the  only 
living  members  of  the  original  organization. 
The  present  'handsome  church  edifice  at  Fifth 
and  Hart  Streets,  was  erected  in  1886,  at  a  cost 
of  $12,000.  The  present  parsonage  was  built  in 
1899  at  a  cost  of  $3,800. 

St.  John's  Lutheran  Church. 

St.  John's  Lutheran  Church  was  organized  in 
1859.  The  congregation  erected  a  church  build- 
ing at  the  corner  of  Eighth  and  Scott  Streets. 
The  first  pastor  was  the  Rev.  Peter  Seuel,  who 
was  ordained  and  in- 
stalled Oct.  26th, 
He  was  s  u  c- 
ceeded  by  the  Rev. 
F.  R.  Tramm,  Sept. 
26th,  1869,  who 
continued  in  charge 
pastorate  the  congre- 
till  1880.  During  his 
gation  builded  a 
larger  'house  of  wor- 
ship, a  handsome 
brick  structure,  cost- 
ing $10,000  at  the 
corner  of  Eighth  and  Scott  Streets,  to  succeed 
the  first  church  building;  the  new  edifice  was 
dedicated  Dec.  10,  1876.  Rev.  Tramm  was  suc- 
ceeded by  the  Rev.  C.  F.  Huge,  Sept.  26,  1880. 
His  successor,  the  Rev.  G.  Goesswein,  was  in- 
stalled Jan.  llth,  1885,  and  served  till  June, 
1897.  The  present  pastor,  Rev.  Carl  Kretz- 
mann, was  installed  Sept.  12,  1897,  and  his  as- 
sistant pastor  and 
missionary,  the  Rev. 
Martin  Kretzmann, 
was  ordained  and  in- 
stalled Aug.  4,  1901. 

This  congregation 
maintains  continual- 
ly a  parochial-  school 
since  1859,  and  erect- 
ed a  two-story  bricM 
school  house,  next  to 
the  church,  in  1866. 

Rev.   Martin  Kretzmann  The          number         of 


Rev.  Carl  Kretzmann 


scholars  at  present  is  ninety,  wlio  are  in  charge 
of  the  teacher,  Mr.  August  Fathauer  and  the 
Rev.  Martin  Kretzmann,  and  their  assistant, 
Mrs.  Julia  Steffen. 

The  trustees  at  the  present  time  are  Messrs 
E.  H.  Younghans,  John  Kirsch  and  Geo.  Hall. 

f 

SECRET  SOCIETIES. 
Malluch  Court,  No.  45,  T.  B.  H. 

Malluch  Court,  No.  45,  Tribe  of  Ben  Hur,  was 
organized  at  Yincentnes  Dec.  4.  1895,  with  eigh- 
ty-one (83)- charter  members.  The  first  officers 
were:  Chief,  Dr.  H.  S.  Latshaw;  Judge,  Alfred^ 
Laue;  Teacher,  Rev.  J.  N.  Jessup;  Scribe,  Will 
L.  Te  Walt;  Keeper  of  Tribute,  John  T.  Boyd; 
Captain,  Samuel  Thompson;  Guide,  Ed.  S. 
Sparrow. 

The  trustees  were  William  C.  Bierhaus,  Geo. 
W.  Donaldson,  and  Alfred  S.  Laue. 

The  court  lias  had  a  prosperous  existence  and 
has  always  had  a  strong  membership,  composed 
of  the  better  class  of  citizens.  Its'  present  mem- 
bership is  about  four  hundred,  with  the  follow- 
ing 'officers:  Past  Chief,  Arthur  T.  Cobb;  Chief, 
John  (j.  Wise:  Judge,  Mrs.  Mamie  Sliugert; 
Teacher.  Mrs.  Melissa  Evans;  SCribe,  Will  L.  Te 
Walt;  Keeper  of  Tribute.  Mrs.  Nannie  Lat- 
shaw; Captain,  Winfield  W.  Robinson;  Guide, 
Miss  Gertrude  Scott:  Keeper  of  the  Inner  Gate, 
Jas.  Hensley;  Outer  Guard,  T.  J.  Burrell.  Since 
the  organization  of  Malluch  Court  nine  deaths 
have  occurred  in  its  membership  and  the  losses 
paid  to  beneficiaries  have  aggregated  $12,500. 
Ini  every  case  payment  was  made  promptly 
after  proof  furnished,  in  some  cases  within  a 
week  from  Hhe  date  of  death. 

Malluch  Court  is  a  live  and  active  organiza- 
tion, has  excellent  paraphernalia  and  fine  uni- 
forms and  one  of  the  best  drilled  teams  in  the 
state  for  the  exemplification  of  the  work. 

FEATURES  OF  THE  TRIBE  OF  BEN  HUR. 

In  no  case  will  more  than  $3,000  be  granted 
on  any  one  life. 

A  monthly  payment,  as  above,  from  each 
member  holding  a  beneficial  certificate  will  be 
due  on  the  first  day  of  each  month,  and  must 
be  paid  to  the  Scribe  of  his  or  her  Court  on,  OP 
before  the  25th  day  of  each  month,  without 
notice. 

In  addition  to  above  payment,  as  per  the* 
table  of  rates,  each  beneficial  member  must 
pay  a  per  capita  tax  of  75  cents  in  June  an'l 


BEN    HUR 

I.  WinfieldW.  Robinson,  Captain.  2.  James  Hensley,  Master  Cer.  3 .  Miss  Dollie  Phillips,  Pianist.  4.  J.  C.  Wise,  A«us. 
5.  Mrs.  Nannie  E.  Latshaw,  Past  Chief.  6.  Peter  J.  Burns,  Sitting  Chief.  7.  Miu  Lizzie  Bombarg,  Terza.  8.  Mr«.  Sue 
Hensley,  Judge.  9.  Mrs.  May  Burns,  Lady  Guide.  J 0.  Dr.  H.  S.  Latshaw,  Drill  Master.  J  J.  Fred.  Shug«rt,  Guide.  12.  Mrs. 
Malissa  Evans,  Teacher.  13.  Miss  Effie  Bombarg,  Hebrew  Girl.  14.  Mrs.  Mamie  Shugert,  Mother  of  Hur.  15.  Albert  Brook*, 
Rabbi  Joseph.  1 6.  A.  Grant  McKay,  Ben  Hur. 


190 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


^•UHUggDHI 

December 

Ben  Hur  Boat  in  Floral 
of  each  year,  in  addition  to  the  local 

Court  dues. 

TABLE  OF 

RATES. 

MONTHLY   PAYMENTS  ACCORDING  TO 
Whole              One  and  One 
At  the              Certificate,  Mo.    half  Certificate, 
ages                      Payment           Mo.  Payment, 
of                             $1.00                        $1.50 

25  to  29                1,400                2,100 

AGE 
Double 
Cert. 
Mo.  Pa>- 

ment  $2.00 

2,800 

29  to  33 

1,300 

1,950 

2,600 

33  to  37 

1,200 

1,800 

2,400 

37  to  40 

1,100 

1,650 

2,200 

40  to  43 

1,000 

1,500 

2,000 

43  to  45 

900 

1,350  . 

1,800 

45  to  47 

800 

1,200 

1,600 

47  to  48 

700 

1,050 

1,400 

48  to  49 

600 

900 

1,200 

49  to  50 

500 

750 

1,000 

18  to  15 

$1,500 

$2,250 

.    $3,000 

COST  OF  MEMBERSHIP. 
The  cost  to  become  a  member  -of  the  Tribe  of 
Ben  Hur  is  as  follows: 
Membership  Fee,  $5.00;  Certificate  and  Regis- 


Parade  July  4,  J900 

tration,  $1.00;  Local  Medical  Examiner,  $1.00; 
Supreme  Medical  Examiner  50  conts. 

The  above  fees  must  be  paid  to  the  authorized 
Deputy  in  Charge  of  the  institution  of  the  Court, 
as  follows,  viz:  $2.50  when  application  is  made, 
and  $5.00  upon  the  delivery  of  certificate. 

DISTINCTIVE  FEATURES. 

First — Men  affld  women  are  alike  eligible  to 
membership. 

Second — The  protection  is  graded  according 
to  age,  but  tfhe  monthly  payments  remain  the 
same. 

Tfhird — No  assessments  upon  death  of  mem- 
bers. 

Fourth — An  Old  Age  Disability,  of  one-tenth 
of  the  face  of  the  Certificate,  after  70  years  of 
age. 

Fifth — A  Partial  Disability  of  one-half  of  the 
face  of  the  Certificate  for  the  "loss  of  both  legs, 
both  arms,  or  one  leg  and  one  arm  by  amputa- 
tion, or  the  loss  of  the  sight  of  both  eyes.  Or, 


V1NCENNES   IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


191 


one-fourth  of  the  face  of  the  Certificate  for  the 
loss  of  one  leg  or  one  hand  by  amputation. 

.Sixth — A  Reserve  Fund  is  created  by  setting 
aside  ten  per  cent,  of  the  monthly  payments. 
WHY  YOU  SHOULD  JOIN 

THE  TRIBE  OF  BEN  HUR. 

It  is  a  new  order,  founded  in  1894,  has  a 
beautiful  ritualistic  work,  drawn  from  the 
book  Ben  Hur. 

It  has  a  very  rigid  medical  examination;  none 
but  first-class  risks  accepted. 

The  amount  of  a  member's  certificate  does 
not  change  with  advancing  age,  but  remains 
the  same  in.  amount  as  when  issued. 

Its  plans  are  entirely  different  from  all  as- 
sessment orders  that  collect  assessments  only 


the  only  heretofore  weak  feature  in  fraternal 
protection. 

Tecumseh  Camp,  3945,  M.  W.  A. 

Tecumseh  Camp,  No.  3945,  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America,  was  after  two  preliminary  meet- 
ings, organized  June  17,  1896,  and  its  charter 
bears  date  Aug.  29,  1896.  The  charter  members 
were:  C.  W.  Benham,  M.  D.,  F.  A.  Berry,  John 
Branon.  Otto  Brandt,  John  T.  Boyd,  Earl  H. 
Buck,  Peter  J.  Burns,  Owen  Coleman,  Thos.  B. 
Coulter,  J.  H.  Cannon,  W.  W.  Cassell,  C.  W. 
Fyffe,  L.  Geschwindner,  W.  A.  Hartwell,  Jas. 
X.  McCoy,  M.  D.,  F.  W.  Planke,  H.  E.  Planke 
Z.  Pulliam,  Ohas.  A.  Sanford,  M.  D.,  Alex  P. 
Smyth,  W.  T.  Smith,  J.'  F.  Somes,  M.  D.,  W. 
L.  Te  Walt,  Edward  L.  Townsley,  Robert  P. 


Photo  by  She  res 


Old  Town  Hall,  Built  1837.     Removed  1886 


on  the  death  of  their  members,  but  make  no 
provision  for  future  years  wlien  the  death  rate 
increases. 

It  makes  mo  assessment  at  death,  but  collects 
a  uniform  monthly  payment,  thus  enabling  you 
to  know  just  what  to  pay. 

A  reserve  fund  of  10  per  cent,  is  set  aside 
from  each  stated  monthly  payment.  This  fund 
and  its  accumulations,  cannot  be  used  for  any 
other  purpose  except  to  provide  against  exce-s 
sive  or  unusual  mortality.  This  makes  strong 


Weems.  Gilbert  Williams,  O.  B.  Williamson. 

The  officers  elected  and  installed  at  the  meet- 
ing of  June  17,  1896,  were  as  follows:  Dr.  J.  F. 
Somes,  V.  C.;  Wm.  T.  Smitih,  W.  A.;  John  T. 
Boyd,  E.  B.;  Will  L.  Te  Walt,  Clerk;  O.  B. 
Williamson.  Escort;  Alex  Smith,  W.;  Wm. 
Hartwell.  Secretary;  C.  W.  Beniham,  J.  N.  Mc- 
Coy, Physicians;  Edward  L.  Townsley,  Dele- 
irate:  Z.  Pulliam,  Chas.  A.  Sanford,  O.  W.  Cole- 
ma  in.  Managers. 

The  organization  has  suffered  but  one  death 


MODERN    WOODMEN 


12.  John  Burway,  Forest«r.        13.  E.  J.  Worth,  forester. 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


193 


loss  at  this  place,  that  of  Ohas.  A.  Sanford,  who 
died  in  November,  1896,  about  five  months  from 
the  date  of  the  organization.  The  increase  in 
membership  of  this  camp  lhas  not  been  rapid, 
but  it  is  now  experiencing  a  steady  and  healthy 
growth  and  has  a  present  membership  of  about 
120.  The  present  officers  are:  V.  C.,  Dr.  J.  H. 
Hammon;  W.  A.,  Edward  Yocum;  E.  B.,  Jesse 
P.  Haughton;  Clerk,  Robt.  N.  Johnson;  Escort, 
Geo.  Glass;  W.,  Henry  Mull;  Sentinel,  Alex 
Cornoyer;  Managers,  Otto  C.  Busse,  Wm.  S. 
Racy,  Chas.  Fyffe. 

The  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  had  its' 
beginning  at  Lyons,  Iowa,  when  Pioneer  Cam]). 
No.  1,  was  organized,  Jan.  5,  1883.  The  origi- 
nator of  Woodcraft,  Mr.  J.  C.  Root,  of  Lyons. 

Photo  by  Townsley 


was  practically  confined  to  Illinois,  Iowa,  Kan- 
sas and  Nebraska,  the  most  marked  growth  be- 
ing in  t!he  first  named  state.  At  the  close  of 
the  year  1888,  the  membership  was  24,980.  The 
society  had  paid  eighty-five  death  claims,  every 
one  but  the  first  (which  occurred  before  the  as- 
sessments collected  amounted  to  $1,000)  being 
paid  in  full,  and  the  total  disbursements  had 
amounted  to  $170,000. 

In  1890  Head  Consul  Root  having  withdrawn 
from  the  order  and  organized  a  rival  society, 
W.  A.  Northcott,  of  Greenville,  111.,  now  Lieu 
tenant-Governor  of  Illinois,  became  Head  Con- 
sul and  under  his  leadership  the  order  has  had 
a  phenomenal  growth,  distancing  all  competi- 
tors in  the  field  of  fraternal  insurance. 


The  New  Grand,  Third  and  Busseron 


became  the  Head  Consul  of  the  order  and  so 
continued  for  a  number  of  years. 

The  second  and  third  camps  of  the  order 
were  organized  at  Fulton  and  Lanark,  111.,  re- 
spectively, and  for  a  number  of  years  the  work 


The  total  insurance  In  force  Nov.  1,  1901,  was 
$1,075,200,500. 

The  total  paid  to  beneficiaries  to  the  same 
date  was  $23,649,449.30. 

The  total  membership  in  good  standing  was 


194 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE   AND   STORY 


657,310,  distributed  among  10,010  local  camps. 
The  average  cost  of  insurance  in  this  organi- 
zation never  has  exceeded  $4,95  per  thousand 


members  of  the  order  has  therefore  ruled  lower 
than  in  any  similar  order  in  existence.  Deputy 
Head  Consul  P.  W.  Whirlock,  \viho  resides  in 


DINING  ROOM,  NEW  GRAND  HOTEL 


per  annum,  being  lowest  of  any  beneficiary  or- 
ganization in  the  world. 

The  ritual  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica is  original  and  striking  and  the  work  digni- 
fied and  impressive.  The  fraternal  features  of 
the  order  are  strong  and  binding.  This  char- 
acteristic of  woodcraft  'has  done  much  to  give 
'<•  Uie  great  lead  it  has  gained  and  maintained 
for  a  number  of  years  among  fraternal  benefici- 
ary societies. 

The  confinement  of  its  organizations  to  the 
Northern  states,  Where  the  death  rate  is  much 
lower  than  In  the  Southern  states  and  the  ex^ 
elusion  from  membership  of  the  more  hazard- 
ous occupations  has  also  tended,  in  no  small 
degree,  to  keep  down  the  death  rate  and  conse- 
quently the  required  number  of  assessments 
which  have  never  exceeded  eleven  In  any  year. 
The  cost  of  benefits  to  families  of  deceased 


Vincenries  aoid  who  has  charge  of  the  work  of 
extension  of  the  order  ill  a  district  comprising  a 
number  of  adjacent  counties,  is  a  reliable,  capa* 
ble  and  consciencious  worker,  selecting  his  can- 
didates for  membership  carefully  both  as  to 
character  and  quality  of  risk,  and  the  member- 
ship he  has  gained  has  added  strength  and  mor- 
al standing  to  the  various  camps  within  hia 
jurisdiction!.  . 

4s 

New  Grand  Hotel. 

The  new  Grand  Hotel,  of  which  a  cut  ap- 
pears herein,  is  one  of  the  best  appointed  and 
best  managed  hostelries  in  the  state.  The  Old 
Grand  Hotel  was  bought  by  Messrs.  C.  W. 
Padgett  and  P.  H.  Blue,  of  Sullivan,  Ind.,  In 
1899,  at  executor's  sale.  They  immediately 
had  plans  prepared  for  its  improvement,  direct- 


VIXCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STOKY 


195 


to 
C 


w 

§ 


o 


w 


ing  their  architect  to  provide  for  a  generous  ex- 
penditure of  money  in  that  direction.  Early 
in  the  following  year  work  was  begun  and  the 
old  structure  was  thoroughly  remodeled  and 
rebuilt  at  a  cost  of  $50,000.  As  the  house  now 
stands  it  has  seventy  elegant  sleeping  rooms 


luxuriously  furnished  throughout.  In  its  culi- 
nary appointments  anid  in  the  conveniences  and 
comforts  offered  in  a  general  way  to  its  guests 
the  New  Grand  is  surpassed  by  few  hotels  in 
the  state.  The  manager,  Mr.  Al  M.  Ford,  is  a 
thoroughly  experienced  hotel  man,  familiar 


196 


VINCENNES  IX  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


w 

H 


0 

w 


VINCENNES   IX   TICTUKE   AND   STORY 


197 


with  every  department,  and  knows  full  well 
how  to  add  to  the  comfort  and  pleasure  of  his 
guests.  The  rates  are  two  to  three  dollars  and 
the  popularity  of  the  New  Grand  with  the  trav- 
eling public  is  such  that  there  is  seldom  a  time 
when!  they  are  not  taxed  to  meet  the  demands 
for  accommodation. 


The  First  Regiment  Band. 

The  First  Regiment  Band  is  the  successor  of 
•'Balue's  Independent  Band,"  organized  by 
Arthur  M.  Balue,  in  March,  1899,  the  name  be- 
ing changed  to  that  at  present  worn  in  June, 
1900,  when  it  was  attached  officially  to  the 
First  Regiment  of  the  Indiana  National  Guard. 
In  the  presenit  organization  are  four  members 
of  the  original  "Independent  Band."  There 
are  in  the  present  organization  tAventy-five 
members,  as  follows:  Arthur  M.  Balue,  Direct- 
or; Q.  V.  List,  Solo  Cornet:  J.  G.  Hunckler,  Solo 
Cornet;  J.  B.  King,  Solo  Cornet;  J.  C.  Wagner, 
First  Cornet;  C.  W.  Miller.  Second  Cornet; 
Joseph  Goddard,  Solo  Clarinet;  Wm.  Oatlett, 
First  Flarinet;  F.  W.  Boone,  Second  Clarinet; 
Ohas.  Leonard,  E  Flat  Clarinet;  John  Marvel, 
First  Alto;  M.  Gluck,  Second  Alto;  T.  J.  Acker, 
Third  Alto;  A.  Furguson,  Fourth  Alto;  A.  F. 
Raker,  E  Flat  Bass:  Jos.  I,  Stoll.  E  Flat  Bass; 
A.  F.  Fischer,  Trombone;  Ohas.  Purcell,  Trom- 
bone; J.  W.  Brockfcmith,  Baritone;  Jos.  Moss, 
Saxophone;  Jas.  Williams,  Trombone;  .Chas.  D. 


K;irson,  Bass;  W.  C.  Teschner,  Side  Drum;  Al- 
vin  McCormick,  Trombone;  Howard  Earl, 
Drum  Major. 

It  is  an  unusually  strong  aggregation  of 
musicians  and  has  never  failed  to  carry  off  the 
honors  whenever  it  has  been  pitted  against 
other  organizations. 

Arthur  M.  Balue,  the  director,  was  born  at 
Cerro  Gordo,  111.,  and  at  the  age  of  eight  years 
came  with  his  parents  to  Vincennes,  where  he 
was  educated.  He  early  developed  a  musical 
talent  of  a  superior  order,  and  taking  up  the 
study  without  an  instructor,  began,  at  the  age 
of  nineteen  years  to  give  special  attention  to  it. 
When  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  became  a 
member  of  Piankeshaw  Band,  of  the  city,  un- 
der the  leadership  of  George  McDonald.  He 
soon  after  went  on  the  road  as  a  professional, 
which  he  continued  for  several  seasons,  being 
connected  with  a  number  of  the  best  profes- 
sional aggregations.  In  March,  1899,  as  stated, 
he  organized  "Balue's  Independent  'Band  and 
Orchestra,"  which,  in  June,  1900,  became  the 
.First  Regiment  Band.  Mr.  Balue  has  con- 
tinued to  direct  the  band  from  its  first  organi- 
zation to  the  present,  with  great  satisfaction 
to  its  membership.  In  a  business  way  Mr. 
Balue  is  associated  with  Mr.  L.  P.  Colenbaugb 
in  the  grocery  business  at  1008  North  Second. 

Mr.  Balue  was  married  in  October,  1900,  to 
Miss  Mary  Acker,  of  Vincennes.  They  have 
one  soni. 


"Little  Joe"  Earl  and  His   Drawing,  Made  at  Age  of  Four  Years 


198 


VINCBNNES  IN  PICTURE  AND   STORY 


A  Youthful  Prodigy. 

"Little  Joe"  Earl,  whose  portrait  appears 
•above,  taken  when  in  his  fifth  year,  is  a  prodigy 
in  many  respects  and  has  been  a  puzzle  to  phy- 
sicians and  nmtfy  others  who  have  taken  an  in- 
terest in  his  talents  and  genius.  Before  he  was 
four  years  of  age  his  parents,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Howard  Earl,  of  Eleventh  and  Main  Streets, 
discovered  signs  of  a  remarkable  mechanical 
genius  and  a  talent  for  drawing  which  came  to 
tfhern  as  a  surprise,  and  they  began  more  closely 
to  observe  tlieir  little  sou.  They  soon  found  him 
unlike  other  children  in  that  he  possessed  a  re- 
markable memory,  seldom  forgetting  anything 
one  told  him.  His  father  being  a  switchman 
in  the  employ  of  the  I.  &  V.  Railroad,  'he  natur- 
ally took  an  interest  in  engines.  He  was  soon 
able  to  produce  with  dialk  on  a  blackboard 
with  which  he  had  been  provided  a  wonderfully 
true  sketch  of  a  locomotive  engine.  One  of 


these,  drawn  when  "Little  Joe"  was  four  years 
of  age,  was  photographed  and  is  here  repro- 
duced. Joe  is  a  diminutive  bit  of  humanity, 
but  may  be  depended  on  to  give  an  intelligent 
answer  to  almost  any  question  on  any  subject. 
There  is  niot  the  smallest  part  of  a  railway  en- 
gine whose  name  and  use  he  has  not  known  for 
years.  He  is  familiar  with  the  rules  governing 
tllie  engineer  in  various  emergencies  that  may 
arise.  But  it  is  not  only  in  these  matters  that 
he  is  informed;  he  knows  much  of  history,  of 
physiology  and  various  other  knowledge  n<ot 
'.  ound  in  the  average  head  many  times  the  age 
of  his  own.  His  ready  understanding  and  re- 
tentive memory  make  'him  truly  a  wonder  on 
account  of  his  extreme  youth.  He  has  never 
attended  school,  physicians  having  advised 
against  it  on  account  of  his  frail  little  body. 
His  wonderful  knowledge  seems  to  be  almost 
intuitive,  so  readily  is  it  acquired. 


The  public  schools  of  Vincennes  are  equal  in 
equipment  and  efficiency  to  those  of  any  other 


of  which  the  central  building  at  Seventh  and 
Buntin  Streets  was  the  first*  erected,  1865.  It 
has  a  corps  of  eleven 
teachers  and  is  pre- 
sided over  by  Prof. 
M.  R.  Ivirk,  a  gradu- 
ate of  the  State  Nor- 
mal School  of  Terre 
Haute  and  of  the 
State  University  at 
Bloomington,  where 
he  took  the  classical 
course. 

No.  2,  which  was 
built  in  1884,  a  con- 
siderable addition  be- 
ing made  in  1895,  is 
located  at  Second 
and  I  n  d  i  anapolie 
Avenue,  North  Vin- 
cennes, and  has  six 
teachers,  of  whom 
M  iss  Josephine 
Crotts  is  principal. 

No.  3,   erected     in 
1877,    is   the     school 
Vincennes  High  School.  Fifth  and  Buntin  for     colored     pupils, 

city  of  the  same  size  in  the  state.  They  are  sup-       and  is  loeatedfat  Twelfth  and  Seminary  Streets. 

plied  with  six  large  and  commodious  buildings,       The  principal.  R.  L.  Anthony,  is  a  colored  edu- 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


199 


cator  of  ability  and  there  are  three  departments. 
No.  4.  erected  in  1878,  Seventh  and  Barnet, 
the  "West  Side  School," 
has  four  departments, 
with  A.  B.  Mavity  as 
principal. 

No.  5.  built  in  1891, 
Eleventh  and  Hickman, 
"East  End  School."  has 
a  corps  of  six  teachers, 
with  Miss  Melvina 
Keith  as  principal. 

No.  6,  the  High 
School,  was  built  in 
1897.  and  is  one  of  the 

M.  J.  Nfclacfc.  Prudent         mogt 

school  buildings  in  the 
state.  It  is  a  handsome 
structure  of  yellow 
brick,  with  every  mod- 
ern appliance,  including 
a  finely  appointed  gym- 
nasium, which  is  under 
the  supervision  of  a 
thorough  teacher  of 
physical  culture,  and  a 
large  and  commodious 
auditorium,  where  lec- 
tures and  a  variety  of 
e  n  t  e  r  t  a  i  nments  are 
given. 

The  public  library, 
which  is  a  part  of 
the  educational  sys- 
tem and  under  the 
control  and  manage- 
ment of  the  school 
board,  is  located  in 
the  City  Hall,  where 
it  has  a  very  hand- 
s  o  in  e  1  y  appointed 
apartment.  It  was 
established  in  1889, 
the  first  librarian  be- 
ing Miss  Mary  Scott, 
now  Mrs.  G.  W. 
Shaw,  who  served  in 
that  capacity  till 
Dec  ember,  1897. 
when  she  tendered 
lier  resignation,  and 
Miss  Myrtle  Ruddy 


H.  T.  W«a»,  Secretary 


Huddy  has  served  continuously  since  that  date. 
There  are  in  th?  library  about  five  thousand  vol- 
umes, selected  with  a 
special  view  to  the 
wants  of  the  students 
of  the  public  schools, 
but  the  benefits  of  the 
library  are  open  to  any 
citizen  of  Viucennes 
without  charge,  on  com- 
pliance with  the  rules 
of  the  institution.  The 
expenditure  for  the 
library  in  1901  was  $730. 
The  members  of  the 
School  Board  are  Hon. 
Mason  J.  Niblack,  President;  Eugene  Hack,  and 
H.  Thornton  Willis,  Secretary,  all  broad-minded, 
progressive  men,  who  spare  no  pains  or  ex- 
l>ense.  when  the  good  of  the  schools  is  involved 
Superintendent  A.  E.  Humke  is  an  educator  of 
broad  culture  and  large  experience  and  pos- 
sessed of  the  requisite  energy  and  judgment  to 
maintain  the  high  standard  of  excellence  of 
these  schools,  which  is.  indeed,  in  no  small 
measure  due  to  his  labors. 

The  investment  in  school  property  in  the  city 
of  Yinf-ennes  will  easily  reach  $150.000.  and  the 
annual  expenditure  largely  exceeds  $30,000. 


E.  Hack 


was      appointed      to 
succeeded  her.    Miss 


Central  School,  No.  \,  Seventh  and  Buntin 


200 


VINCENNES   IN   PICTURE  AND   STORY 


The  expenditure  for  the  year  1901,  includ- 
ing salaries  of  teachers  and  janitors  and  fuel, 
water,  furniture,  repairs,  apparatus,  books,  &c, 
including  also  the  public  library,  amounted  to 
$34,155.  The  board  has  under  consideration 
plans  to  enlarge  the 
facilities  by  the  erec- 
tion of  further  build- 
ings to  accommodate 
the  increasing  num- 
ber of  pupils,  due  to 
the  growth  of  the 
city.  It  is  highly 
probable  that  the 
next  few  months 
will  see  another 
handsome  school 
building  under  way. 


H.  T.  WILLIS,  Sec. 
Henry  Thornton 
Willis  was  born  at 
Bruceville,  K  n  o  x 
County,  Aug.  29, 
1862.  He  received 
his  early  education 
In  the  public  schools 
and  later  attended' 
the  State  Normal 
School  at  Terre 


Haute  and  became  a  teacher  in  the  schools  of 
Knox  County,  being  so  engaged  for  six  years. 
He  was  then  for  five  years  city  editor  of  the 
Daily  Sun,  after  which,  in  1891,  he  became 
cashier  of  the  Union  Depot  Hotel,  a  position 


East  End  School,  Eleventh  and  Hickman 


North  Vincennes  School,  Second  and  Indianapolis  Avenue 


which  he  has  held 
continuously  since 
that  date. 

The  high  estima- 
tion in  which  Mr. 
Willis  is  held  in  the 
community  is  evi- 
denced by  the  num- 
ber of  positions  of 
trust  and  responsibil- 
ity he  has  held.  He 
was  elected  secretary 
of  the  Board  of 
Trade,  March  24, 
'1899,  and  has  served 
in  that  capacity 
since  that  time,  hav- 
ing been  re-elected 
annually.  He  be- 
came a  member  of 
the  City  Board  of 
Education  in  June, 
1899,  and  was  at  the 
first  meeting  there- 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


201 


after  elected  secretary  of  the  board.     The  fol- 
lowing year  he  was  chosen  treasurer  and  secre- 


West  Side  School,  Seventh  and 
tary  again  the  next  year,  in  which  position    he 
still  serves.      He  was  for  a  number  of  years 
secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Security  Spoke 
Manufacturing  Co.,  of  the  city,  and  was  for 
twelve  years,  from  1889  to  1901,  secretary  of 
the  Old  Settlers'  As- 
Bociation.     of    Knox, 
County.      He     is   a 
member       of       the 
Christian    C  h  u  r  c  h; 
and  has  been  treas- 
urer of  that  organi- 
zation since  1896.  In 
politics  he  is  a  dem- 
ocrat, though  of  Re- 
publican stock.     Mr. 
Willis  was  married, 
June    17,    1896,    to 
Miss    Grace    Burnet 
of    the  city.      They 
have  one  son. 

PROP.  ALBERT 
E.  HUMKE. 


January  23,  1864.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  and  a  gymnasium  of  his  native  country 
until  fifteen  years  of 
age,  when  he,  with 
mother  and  family, 
immigrated  to  this 
country,  coming  di- 
rect to  Wabash,  Ind., 
in  1869,  soon  after 
locating  in  Laketon, 
where  our  subject 
attended  the  public 
schools  for  three 
years  and  then  be- 
came a  teacher.  The 
better  to  fit  himself 
for  his  chosen  pro- 
fession he  attended 
the  State  Normal 
School  at  Terre 
Haute,  from  which 
he  was  graduated 
with  honors  in  1877. 
Subseque ntly  he 
taught  as  principal 
Ba«x«t  of  one  of  the  Ward 

schools  of  Wabash.  Following  this  he  was 
for  seven  years  instructor  in  reading  in  the 
State  Normal  School  at  Terre  Haute.  In  1891, 
Prof.  Humke  became  superintendent  of  the 
city  schools  of  Vincennes,  a  position  which  he 


Albert  E.  Humke 
was  born  in  Lippe, 
Detmold,  Germany, 


Colored  School,  Twelfth  and  Seminary 


202 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


has  since  held,  to  the  pleasure  and  profit    of 
their  patrons  and   whose  duties   he  has    per- 
formed   with    an 
assiduity  and  wis- 
dom     that      has 
resulted  in  one  of 
the  best  conduct- 
ed educational  de- 
partments  in   the 
State. 

Professor 
Humke  was  mar- 
ried in  1877  to 
Miss  Mantle  D. 
Gregory  of  Mar- 


I  Would  Love  to  Go  Back. 


tinsville,   111. 


A.  E.  HUMKE, 

Vlncennes, 


St.  Rose  Academy. 

St.  Rose  Academy,  conducted  by  the  Sistera 
of  Providence,  whose  Mother  House  is  at  St. 
Mary's  of  the  Woods, 
Vigo  County,  Indi- 
ana, was  founded  in 
1842.  During  the 
sixty  years  of  its  ex- 
istence it  has  kept 
pace  with  the  edu- 
cational demands  of 
the  times,  offering 
accommodations  for 
resident  students  as 
well  as  day  scholars. 
The  regular  course 
of  instruction  com- 
prises three  depart- 
ments: Primary,  In- 
termediate, Acad- 
emic. A  commercial 
course  can  also  be 
pursued  if  desired. 
The  scholastic  year 
is  divided  into  two 
terms  of  twenty  St.  Rose 

weeks  eacli.  The  number  of  pupils  attending 
is  two  hundred  and  sixty;  the  number  of  teach- 
ers employed  is  twelve.  Instruction  is  given 
in  piano  and  vocal  music,  and  the  various 
stringed  instruments.  Public  recitals  form  a 
feature  of  the  educational  system,  thus  pre- 
paring the  pupils  for  appearance  in  public  and 
maintaining  among  them  a  spirit  of  interest 
and  emulation. 


(George  R.  Harvey's  Muse  Sings  of  His 
Heart's  Desire.) 

I  would  like  to  go  back 
To  the  days  of  my  boyhood, 
In  life's  morning  march, 
When  my  bosom  was  young; 
Re-tread  the  old  paths 
That  ran  through  the  wild-wood, 
And  sing  the  old  songs 
That  we  neighbor  boys  sung. 

I  would  love  to  go  back 
To  that  double  log  cabin, 
In  wihich  I  was  taught 
My  first  little  prayer, 
And  hear  Brother  Strainge, 
The  old  Circuit  Rider, 
Preach  to  the  people, 
Who  came  far  and  near. 


Academy,  Fifth  and  Seminary 
I  would  love  to  sit  down 
In  my  father's  old  orchard, 
Where  the  Romanite,  Pippin^ 
And  bellflower  grew. 
'Twas  the  fruit  of  the  country; 
Yes,   fruit  of  my  boyhood, 
But  where  it's  all  gone 
Good  Lord  only  knows. 


VINCENNES  IN  PICTURE  AND  STORY 


203 


I  would  love  to  look  back 

On  the  old  sweep-mill  in  the  valley, 

In  which  I  once  worked 

In  life's  early  morn, 

In  a  seat  on  the  sweep, 

Behind   the  two  horses, 

To  keep  them  both  moving 

While  grinding  the  corn. 

Yes,  I  would  like  to  go  back 

To  that  old  beech  log 

By  the  path  through  the  forest, 

On  which  I  once  sat 

Near  the  pigeon  roost  ground, 

And  see  the  birds  coming 

By  thousands,  yes.  millions, 

And  cover  the  trees  for  many  miles  round. 

'Twas  a  sight  of  a  life-time, 
And  oft  I  have  wondered 
If  the  days  that  have  passed 
Would  ever  roll  round 


And  bring  back  the  good  times 
I  had  in  my  boyhood 
In  bagginig  wild  pigeons 
That  roost  near  the  ground. 

I  would  love  to  look  back 

On  that. old  wooden  flax  brake 

And  scutching  board, 

Sharpen'd  and  driven  in  ground, 

Where  we  broke  and  we  scutched 

And  we  ran  through  the  heckle 

Preparing  flax  fiber 

For  the  spindle  and  loom. 

I  would  love  to  go  back 
To  the  days  of  wild  turkey 
Anld  venison  steak 
And  pigeon  pot  pie, 
With  corn  bread  for  dinner 
Mixed  well  with  stewed  pumpkin 
And  a  few  juicy  cracklings 
Just  fresih  from  the  fry. 


COISTTEISTTS 


Page 
CHAPTER  1.,  Early  Settlement 5 

CHAPTER  II.,  The  Jesuit  Missionaries 9 

CHAPTER  III.,  Under  English  Rule 11 

CHAPTER  IV.,  Expedition  of  Col.  George 
Rogers  Clark.  Biographical  foot  note  of 
Clark 14 

CHAPTER  V.,  Clark  makes  preparations  to 
secure  Vincennes  17 

CHAPTER  VI.,  Vincennes  captured  by  Gov. 
Hamilton.  Clark  prepares  to  march 
against  the  Post 23 

CHAPTER  VII.,  Clark  captures  the  "Old 
Post"  29 

CHAPTER  VIII.,  Clark  captures  Hamil- 
ton's boats.  Plans  against  Detroit.  Early 
events  following  37 

CHAPTER  IX.,  Governor  St  Glair.  Laws 
for  the  Northwest  Territory.  Indian 
troubles  41 


Page 

CHAPTER  X.,  Gen.  Harrison  becomes  sec- 
retary of  the  Northwest  Territory.  Leg- 
islature established.  First  delegate  in 
Congress.  Count  De  Volney  writes  of 
Vincennes  47 

CHAPTER  XI.,  Establishment  of  Indiana 
Territory.  Governor  Harrison.  First 
Grand  Jury.  First  Legislature.  Various 
matters  of  Interest  50 

CHAPTER  XII.,  Indians  become  restless. 
Tecumsch.  Tippecanoe  53 

CHAPTER  XIII.,  War  of  1812.  Gov.  Har- 
rison in  command  of  U.  S.  forces.  Capi- 
tal leaves  Vincennes  68 

CHAPTER  XIV.,  Indiana  becomes  a  state. 
Blackhawk  War.  War  of  the  rebellion. .  72 
Spanish-American  War 77 

CHAPTER  XV.,  Corporate  History.  His- 
torical Miscellany 80 

CHAPTER  XVI.,  Vincennes  University  . .  .84-9 
The  Vincennes  of  To-day  90 


BUSINESS  INTERESTS— BUSINESS  AND  PROFESSIONAL  MEN 


Page 

Adams,  T.  H .155 

Alexander,  H.  W 7..174 

Alsop,  George  R 100 

Arnold,  Stephen  134 

Baecher,  E.  A 151 

Baker,  William  99 

Bank,  First  National   95 

Bank,  German  National 98 

Bank,  Second  National 97 

Bayard,  Joseph  L 95 

Bayard,  Joseph  L.,  Jr 96 

Beckes,  Duncan  L 168 

Beckes,    Lyman    M.,   Dr 160 

Ben  Hur— Tribe  of 188 

Bey  Lawrence 120 

Blerhaus  Brothers   116-17 

Blerhaus,    E.    &   Sons 116-18 

Board  of  Trade 91 

Boeckman,    Henry    J., 100 

Bonner,  Daniel   148 

Boog,    Herman    124 

Boyd,  John  T., 98 

Bratton-Racey  Grocery  Co.... 118 

Brokhage  &  Sons,  H 113 

Buckles,  John  L 172 

Burke,    Rev.   DeLou   177 

Burns,  Peter  J 131 

Cassell,  J.  W 119 

Cassell,  W.   W 121 

Campbell,   Thomas   H 136 

Cauthorn,  Hon.  H.  8 173 

Cauthorn,   H.   S.   Jr., 173 

Cauthorn.  Robt.  G 173 

Central  Foundry   Co 106 


Page 

Churches . .  .179-188 

City  Hall  Drug  Store 123 

Clark,  Edward  S., 133 

Claycomb,  M.  A., 140 

Cllppinger,  Rev.  H.  C 175 

Cobb,    A.    T... 166 

Cobb,  O.  H.  Judge 166 

Cobb.  Hon.  Thomas  R., 169 

Cohen,  J.  C 114 

Coulter,  Major  T.  B., 168 

Cross,  T.  Ray 129 

Crotts,  A.  V., 159 

Cullop,   Hon.   W.   A 166 

Curtis,    F.    W 159 

Dalley,   C.   E 167 

Davidson,   Win., 147 

DeBruler,  A.  P 138 

Donaldson,  G.  W., 97 

Duesterberg,  John  M., 124 

Du  Kate,  J.  Ralph 159 

Eagle   Brewery 102 

Earl.  "Little  Joe" 197-8 

Eastham,    Thomas 148 

Ebner,  John.  Ice  Co 101 

Eluere,  P.  &  Sons 130 

Emison.  Frank  P 153 

Emlson,  James  W., 163 

Enterprise  Stove  Co Ill 

First  Regiment  Band 196-7 

Fleischman.    Rev.    M., 175 

Flouring  Mills Ill 

Franke.    T.    F., 114 

Frederick,  Henry 155 

Frederick,  L.  A., 127 


Page 

Freeman,   William -98 

Gardner  &  Son 132 

Ghee,   M.   P., 139 

Gimbel,  Haughton  &  Bond 114 

Glass.  R.  M 125 

Goodman,  John  T., 170 

Green,  Frank 136 

Green,  Perry  D 158 

Greene,  George  E., 147 

Greeuhow,  R.  J., 143 

Guegen.    Rev.    Louis   176 

Hack,  John. 146 

Hack  &  Simon 102 

Hall,  Dr.  S., 162 

Hall,  John  F 98 

Halter,  M 120 

Hainmon.  Dr.  J.  H., 163 

Harbison.  A.  L., 169 

Hartigan,  John 134 

Hartley.  O.  J 131 

Hartman  Mfg.  Co 108 

Hartwell  Handle  Co 107 

Harvey.  George  R 125 

Held,   Dr.    H.   W., 153 

Helle,    C.    W 126 

Hellert,  H.  J., 144 

Henderson.   J.    A 128 

Hershey ,    Jere 150 

Hitt,  Harvey  B., 159 

Hoover,  W.   S 174 

Horsting,  Frank 150 

Humke,  Prof.  A.  E., 201 

Hunter,  E.  B., 127 

Hunter,  Rev.  W.  A., 176 


BUSINESS  INTERESTS— BUSINESS  AND  PROFESSIONAL  MEN— Continued. 


Page 

Iiidiana  Handle  Co 107 

Inter-State  Distilling  Co 112 

James  R.  O., 122 

Judah,  Samuel 169 

Judah,  Samuel  B 170 

Kitchell,   J.   S., 145 

Klieu,    George 129 

Kuapp,    Dr.    George,    Sanitar- 
ium     100 

Knappe,   W.  T.   Von 162 

La  Croix,  J.  D., 12S 

Latshaw,    Dr.    H.    S 1.45 

Laundries 138 

Law.  Rev.   W.  G 177 

Lewis,  Harry  R 167 

Lewis,  J.  P 152 

Lieberman,   Prank 147 

Loten,  Mrs.  E.  J.,.    i.25 

Louis,    J.    A 115 

McCarthy,  P.  R 108 

McClure,  A.  M 174 

McCord,  C.   G., 171 

McCoy,  Col.  Geo.  W UW 

McGowen,  John  W 1?5 

McJimsey  Opera  House 146 

Mail,    J.    F 136 

Maxedon,    Dr 162 

Miller,  Rev.  J.  B., 177 

Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  191 

Moffett,  Judge  W.  W 164 

Moore,  Dr.   R.   G 123 

Moore,    W.    H., 135 

New   Grand   Hotel 194-7 

Newspapers 155-60 

Niblack,  Hon.  M.  J 165 

Norton  &  Co.,   D.  W., 135 

O'Donnell,  P.  M., 96 

Oeschger,  Rev.  Wm., 178 

Orr,   James  T., 109 

Page.  John  B., 110 

Palfrey,  Thos.    F 129 

Pennington,  W.  H 154 


Page 

Phillippe,    Peter 153 

Phillips,  O.  C 171 

Planke  Bros 124 

Plummer,  J.  A., 106 

Presnell,  M.   V 133 

Printers  and  Publishers  . . .  155-60 

Pritchett,  J.  S 166 

Propes,   W.   H -. 142 

Public  Schools 198-201 

Purcell,    R.    E 156 

Purcell,   W.  B 157 

Racy-Palfrey  Shoe  Co 129 

Randolph,  Joseph  T 170 

Recker,  Garret  R 110 

Recker,  W.  P 119 

Reel,   Abe  S 144 

Reiman,  W.  A 143 

Reiter,  Gerard 99 

Riddle,  Samuel   144 

Rlsch,  J.  A 115 

Risch,  S 115 

Robertson,  Thomas 149 

Robinson,   W.  B 168 

Rogers,   John   154 

Roush,   G.   W.   H 105 

Rumer  &  Son 121 

Ryder,  E.  L 128 

St.  Rose  Academy  201 

Salyards,  E.  M 131 

Samoniel,  Fred 154 

Schoenfeld,  V 123 

Schultz,  C.  W 120 

Selby,  John 141 

Shepherd,  Chas 129 

Shores,  E.  E 133 

Simon,   Anton    102 

Simpson,  Wm 136,  178 

Smith,  Dr.  H.  M 161 

Smith,  N.  &  Sous 130 

Somes,  Harry  V 96 

Somes,  Dr.  J.  F 162 


I  age 

Spiker,  J.  S 137 

Spiker,  A.  C 137 

Stork.  J.  M 153 

Summit,  L.  C 151 

Taylor,   Ayers  J . .  . .  149 

TeWalt.  Will  L 140 

Thuis,   F.  A 141 

Thuis,   F.  A.  Estate 109 

Tindolph,  E.  P 122 

Todd,  C.  E 134 

Townsley,  I.  E 133 

Tribe  of  Ben  Hur 188 

Twietmeyer,  J.  Herman  120 

Utterback,   Carlin    141 

Vlncennes  Bridge  Co 105 

Vincennes  Egg  Case  Co 105 

Vincennes   Elevator  Co Ill 

Vincennes      Galvanized     Iron 

Works 108 

Vincennes  Novelty  Mfg.  Co.  ..113 

Vincennes    Paper    Co 105 

Vincennes  University   84-9 

Vincennes  Water  Supply  Co..  112 
Vinceunes  Window  Glass  Co.  103 

Von  Knappe,   Dr.  W.  T 162 

Wagner,    John    C 142 

Watson,   Edward   91 

Watson,  Henry  109 

Weed,   W.   A 130 

Weisert,  C.  A 152 

Weisert,  Edward  150 

White  Bicycle   Co 126 

Wilhelm,  John 172 

Willis,  H.  Thornton 200 

Willis,  T.  H.,  Rev 175 

Williams,  Hon.  S.  W 165 

Williams,  James  D 152 

Williamson,    O.    B 172 

Yelton,  A.  M 142 

Yunghans,    E.    H 145 

Zuber,  John  B 142 


